Something Interesting in Costa Rica
by jackalope21
Summary: Before he could blink, the young woman's fist shot out and connected with his jaw.  'T' for violence. Might change later.  No slash but they're the two main characters in this fic
1. Chapter 1

**I own nothing of the story line. Only the people I add. I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think! I'll add a bit of a summary before each chapter just so you know what you're getting into. :)**

Chapter 1: First Impressions Are The Most Important

The group made their way into a local cantina in the middle of Costa Rica, the last place they had heard Max was. Jensen began to the start waving his arms to the music coming from within, pumping his chest as he danced like an idiot. Pooch doing the same, a jig of his own style but one that went to the beat. Clay and Aisha watched them, Clay laughing a bit as he did. Cougar only shook his head and followed the people inside the bar.

Music hit them like a tidal wave, echoing through their bodies as they saw what was within. People, locals, danced around the dance floor as the live band played the typical upbeat rhythm of their cultures. The smell of food filled their noses, people scattered around in small tables, drinking and eating. The band's stage was set up in the center of the far wall, a big enough stage for only a few people to be more or less put to the side while they played their instruments. To the left of the stage was a bar, one that was rather impressive as it stretched the entire length of the wall. And to the right was an open porch, letting more than enough of the night air to come in whiles the party went on. It was the perfect place for them to relax and have a few drinks before they decide what exactly they were going to do.

Slowly they filed into the partially open bar. A table was spotted off to the side, not directly in front of the stage but close, with the bar even closer. The Losers made their way to it, sitting before it could be snatched away as they ordered their drinks. Smiles and laughs played on their faces as they talked, joking with one another and genuinely glad to have some down time. As they sat there, on perhaps their third round of drinks, the bar's owner, a small little man with white hair, came to the center of the stage. Half of the Losers couldn't really understand what was being said but it was obvious he was introducing someone. When he was done talking the crowd erupted, apparently waiting for the person who was singing.

They sat and watched, sipping from their beers as a young woman took the stage. Jensen felt his breath hitch in his throat. The young woman was gorgeous. His mouth hung open as she took her place on stage. She smiled kindly to the people before her and it was then Jensen was sure he squeaked. She had long flowing hair that hung low on her back, sitting in gentle black waves. Her skin was a beautiful olive tone, flawless and perfect. Her face was delicate and gorgeous. But her body was nothing he had ever seen before. She had the typical Hispanic woman curves, thick where it counted, but she wore an outfit that suited her. She wore a simple, off-white shirt that hugged her chest but was tied tightly to the side, leaving her midriff bare. A skirt of the same color hung low on her hips, not even making it to her knees with a pair of white, open toed heels.

She was perfect to him and he couldn't help staring. He had never seen a woman like her before anywhere he had been. Everything was interesting from her simple clothing to the jewelry on her wrist. He just couldn't stop staring and the moment she opened her mouth to sing, he felt his heart almost stop beating. She had the voice of an angel and he was embarrassed to admit it but when the song's tempo picked up and she began to swing and pop her hips the way only a professional would, his pants grew just a bit tighter than before.

He fidgeted, trying to conceal it as the show went on. Aisha and Clay had stood, making their way to the dance floor to dance, Pooch sipping on a beer while moving lightly to the beat, but Cougar did nothing. His fists were clenched, the hat pulled over his eyes as he tried his best to hide from the people around him. To anyone that cared to look, he was in pain, his knuckles nearly white with the pressure of his grip.

The song came to an end and those who had been listening clapped loudly. Jensen couldn't even keep himself from standing, applauding loudly like he had been following the young woman's career for years. Cougar turned to him and with a slight glare, the man adjusted himself and sat back down. Clay and Aisha were making their way back to the table while the young woman on stage had descended. The other patrons of the bar greeted her, congratulating and speaking with her before she made her way to the bar.

She had ordered a drink, waiting for the shot to be poured, unaware of the eyes that lingered on her. Jensen was trying his best to work up the courage to speak with the young woman that was standing a few feet from him, not too far over his left shoulder. Cougar sat, his back to her, his fists still clenched as a large man walked pass him, one that had seemed to have a few too many drinks, and came to stop by the young woman. The sniper turned his head; just enough to watch what was going to happen from the corner of his eyes.

He watched as the large, inebriated man walked up behind the young woman and wrapped his arms around her waist, spinning her around as he laughed. When her face came towards them, turned enough to see her clearly, they could tell she and the men weren't the best of friends. Her face was angry, rolling her eyes until he set her down. When her feet touched the ground, she had all but jumped back from the man, holding a hand out as she spoke to him. Cougar was more than capable of understanding that she was telling the man to back off. His fists clenched tighter at the thought of a man pushing himself on a woman. Still, the two argued, the man becoming increasingly angry at the young woman for not accepting his advances.

The final straw for the sniper, and the other men at the table watching the exchange came when the large drunk man grabbed the young woman's upper arm. She shoved him away violently and when she did, his hand came up and slapped her in the face. She had time to move back just enough to have his fingers graze her skin but Cougar had seen more than enough. In the blink of an eye, he had shoved his chair back, grabbed the man's shoulder and spun him around, landing a hard hit to the man's jaw. The drunk and Cougar's chair hit the ground at the same time, all action in the bar having ceased as the 'non-fight' took place. Cougar stood, his back to the young woman, his chest heaving as he breathed heavy, his eyes baring down on the man that lay unconscious on the wood plank floor.

The other Losers stood, their eyes going from the still angry Cougar to the man on the ground, waiting to see if anyone else was going to have anything to say about it, but no one did. Instead, the music began to play once more and the rest of the patrons went about their business as though nothing had happened. The young woman, however, only stood there, staring at the back of the man that had intervened. Slowly, her hand came forward and lightly touched the Spaniard's shoulder. He didn't move as he thought about what to do. A moment later he shrugged her hand off and tried to walk forward only to have her grab his shoulder once more and force him to turn.

Cougar turned on his heels, his eyes still down, hidden beneath the brim of his hat. He didn't dare move, instead stood in his place, praying she wouldn't do what he knew she was thinking of doing. The young lady's brow was furrowed as her delicate hand came up, her bracelets dangling from her wrist. It was then the others noticed something wrapped around her wrist that wasn't a bracelet. The thin silver chains hung loosely with two tags hanging from them. But their attention was soon diverted when the young woman's hand came up and flipped the Sniper's hat up and off his head.

They waited for him to get angry, to fight that someone dare touch his hat, but he never moved. He didn't do anything as his hat made a light thud on the floor behind him.

She gasped, her hands coming to her mouth as she took a step back from the man. Cougar said nothing as his head came up, his dark brown eyes meeting with her vibrant green. Her brow creased as her hands left her mouth. Within an instant, shock turned to anger, her brilliant eyes beginning to water, on the verge of tears. He watched as her mouth tensed. He was about to open his mouth, to say something to make her feel better but he didn't get the chance. Before he could blink, the young woman's fist shot out and connected with his jaw.

Cougar was sent reeling back on his feet, not falling but back stepping with the force of the blow. Holding his jaw, trying to steady the pain of the throbbing, he looked up in time to see the young woman storm from the bar. He growled to himself, all but forgetting that his team was watching him as he turned, dipped down to grab his hat and was out the door.

The Losers exchanged curious glances, Pooch and Aisha unable to hold back a slight smile that someone, a woman, had just punched Cougar. Moving quickly, they made their way outside the bar, coming to stop near the entrance when the sniper's figure and that of the young woman were visible.

They were standing near the far corner of the building, the outside lights and the torches glow from the outdoor porch more than capable of illuminating their figures. He had her wrists in his hands as she fought against him, obviously cursing him through clenched teeth and trying her best to escape, liquid glistening on her cheeks from the tears she had spilt.

He continued to hold her as best he could while she fought valiantly against him, still angrily speaking with him as he repeated the same few words. Even with minimal Spanish speaking skills, the others were more than capable of understanding _siento_. Whatever she was so angry about, he was apologizing for it. Finally, he managed to wrap his arms around her, holding her tightly to him, his face to the side closest to the Losers. They were more than capable of seeing the regret in his face and how sorry he really must have been. The young woman cried into the Sniper's shoulders as he held her tightly to him, his hand coming up and lightly running down her hair as he tried to console her.

Eventually, when she had stopped shaking, Cougar pulled her back, his hands lightly holding the young woman's face as he kissed her forehead. The others watched as the regularly stoic and relatively intimidating man pressed his lips gently to the woman's forehead, muttering his apologies before resting his own forehead on hers. They stood that way for a while, and if Clay hadn't cleared his throat it probably would have been longer.

Cougar looked up to the others, the young woman in his arms doing the same. She looked at him curiously before Cougar took her hand and led her to them. The others simply stared at the young woman as she wiped the tears from her cheeks and smiled. Jensen couldn't help but simply stare at her, same as he had before, but now she was just so much closer to him. He tried to say something but all he could manage was a mumbled hello. Her attention was shifted to him as she smiled.

"So Coug, you feel like some story telling?" Clay asked.

The Sniper didn't really know where to start before the leader of the Losers noticed the thing hanging from the young woman's wrist. He held out his hand, motioning for her to hold out her arm. She did so, her eyes staring at him curiously as he took the tags into his fingers, moving them to read the name. Clay smiled as he released the silver trinkets, the young woman bringing her hand back to her side. She stood there next to the Spaniard, their hands held tightly together. It all made sense now.

Clay knew why Cougar had gotten so protective over her and hit the man that threatened to hurt her. Why she had reacted so strongly when she had seen the man under the hat. Why he had tried to hide beneath the brim of the cowboy hat in the first place. He understood the significance of the bracelet she wore. They were dog tags, something anyone could have seen, but it was the name on them that mattered. He smiled, now more than able to see the resemblance between the two.

"Your sister." He finally said with a slight chuckle. "She's your sister. Isn't she?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you to all of you that have read it and already put this on your favs. Thank you SOOOO much! And to my single reviewer! You're awesome. lol. Here's a little more. Enjoy. BTW if you want to know give or take what I want Gabriella to look like go to youtube and watch Carlos Santana's Maria Maria. Its a good song and the chick is beautiful.  
**

Chapter 2: Definitely a Family Resemblance

"Your sister." He finally said with a slight chuckle. "She's your sister. Isn't she?"

Cougar only nodded, his head coming down a bit.

Aisha cocked a brow to the turn of events, Pooch nodding his approval while Jensen felt a bolt of fear rush through him. He had been thinking things about the young woman, things Cougar would hurt him over. The Hacker gulped hard, bringing the attention to him once more. He laughed nervously to the others, trying to make it as though he weren't scared, something they didn't buy.

"Well, well, well," Pooch smiled. "Our little Cougar has a family."

"I don't know why man, but I always thought you were like… built in a lab or something." Jensen replied, finding it easier to speak when he wasn't looking at the young woman laced under the Sniper's arms.

The others laughed slightly at the young Hacker's remarks before Clay spoke up once more.

"¿Cuál es su nombre?" he asked, surprised Cougar hadn't introduced them.

"Gabriella." She answered simply.

He nodded his hello to her, Jensen feeling his back tighten at the soft sound of her voice.

"I'm Clay, Aisha, Pooch, and Jensen."

He pointed to the ones he had introduced, each of them giving her some kind of signal as their hello until it came to Jensen. The best the poor man was able to muster was a crocked smile and a weak wave when her eyes came to him. She smiled kindly, laughing slightly at the sight of the frozen man as she nodded her own greeting to him.

But Jensen had to admit, as much of a lady-lover he was, there was something about a woman with an accent or one that could speak other languages that turned him into a bigger dork than he already was. A moment later, she turned and spoke softly to her brother. They understood only parts of what she had said, a few of them speaking fluent Spanish, the others only a bit from their time stuck in Bolivia. But still, Clay knew what she had asked.

"Si, gracias." He answered, much to Cougar's surprised.

"Boss…" he said in a weary voice.

"She invited us so why not?"

Cougar grumbled his disapproval but did nothing to stop it.

"What'd she ask?" Pooch asked, not as quick to follow the Spanish as the others.

"She invited us to her place." Clay said with a smile to the others.

"And you accepted?" Jensen groaned under his breath. "Oh man…."

The group of five made their way to the young woman's home. It was small, nestled in the tree line away from other homes around her, more than capable of suiting them and much more welcoming than their hotel. It was a simple home, very open with wide windows that only seemed to only have screens, allowing the breeze to come and go through the home. There were a few couches, a bedroom and bathroom to the side and a small kitchen. Given the plainness of the structure it was homier than they had thought.

"Cervezas?" she asked kindly, walking into her kitchen.

A few of them held up their hands, signaling their desire for the drink. She grabbed them and handed them out accordingly before turning to her brother. Aisha and Clay took a seat on a couch, Jensen doing the same in a chair while Pooch looked at one of the picture in a small frame on an end table. He smiled, picking it up and laughing slightly.

"Look," he declared, showing the picture of the two young kids in the frame. "I found Cougar."

"Awe!" Jensen teased as Pooch handed him the photo. "It's Cougar as a cub!"

The man was silenced by the glare coming from the Sniper but felt a bit of heat fill his cheeks at the giggle in Gabriella's voice. She knew he was making fun of her brother and enjoyed it. The giggle however, was short lived when she turned to Cougar once more.

"¿Por qué está usted aquí? Pensé que usted era muerto y ahora usted camina en una barra en Costa Rico y sucedió el intento a actuar como nada."(_Why are you here? I thought you were dead and then you come waking into the bar in Costa Rico and act like nothing happened.)_ She asked Cougar calmly.

They watched silently as he didn't meet her eyes before speaking.

"No sé." He muttered, not meeting her eyes. (_I don't know.)_

The others could tell this wasn't going to go well. The question was how far would Clay or Cougar allow it to go.

"¡Mentiroso!"(_Liar!)_ she spat angrily, causing the others to flinch slightly. "Sé que éstos son los hombres que usted me ha dicho de. Los que usted ha luchado con. Díg a mi porqué usted está aquí." _ (I know these are the ones you told me about. The ones you fought with. Tell me why you're here.)_

The words came out so fluidly, it sounded like she had only said one or two words to Jensen. It was almost like a song to him, beautiful even if you don't understand the meaning behind it.

"Ésta no es la época de tener esta conversación." (_This isn't the time to be having this conversation) _He warned under his breath.

"No." she snapped. "Éste es el tiempo perfecto. Esta,"_(No this is the perfect time. This is…)_ before she could finish, a bird flew from somewhere hidden in its home in the bushes and up into the air.

Her brother's head turned to the direction, the two of them knowing exactly what the sound meant. A moment later, the two went about, turning off the lights of the small home, all but one in the kitchen. The small glow of the light did little for real illumination, but let whoever was hiding in the bushes know that there was someone in the house.

"What is it Coug?" Clay asked as they stood, looking around through the windows.

The sniper didn't reply as he motioned for them all to take a hiding place. They did, the few with weapons drawing them as they waited, the young woman taking a place behind her door. A moment later, the door was kicked in. Within seconds, before the others could react, the young woman had a blade at the intruder's throat and before he could alert anyone else, she slit his throat. The Losers watched in slight fascination as the man hit the floor, blood pooling around his head as it poured from the wound she had created.

They slowly began to stand before the Gabriella held up her hands, motioning for them to remain where they were. Thinking better of it, they did, waiting to see if anyone else would emerge as the young woman walked quietly forward and reached behind the couch Jensen was sitting in the shadow of. He felt his heart begin to beat rapidly as she leaned close to him, her eyes trained on the window behind him as her hand grazed his thigh. He couldn't help himself as he breathed deep the sweet smell that seemed to radiate from her skin as she pulled back a rather large and impressive gun.

He felt a chill run through his body at the sight of the light glinting off the chrome while her attention was still held outside the home. He stared into her face, the young woman kneeling close enough he could feel her heat before she moved. Within a matter of seconds, she stood and fired three shots into the woods through her screens. The sound of the gunshots echoing through the forest, the animals still screeching their protest at the sudden sounds before there was the distinct sound of bodies hitting the ground.

There was silence for a moment before Cougar stood and motioned to Clay and Pooch, the three men leaving the home and beginning to search the forest around the structure. The young woman stood in her spot, her eyes and ears trained on her surroundings. It was eerie to Jensen, the resemblance he now saw between Gabriella and Cougar, the relation undeniable even in the simple way they stood at attention. He couldn't help but realize how beautiful she looked, even standing there with her gun at her side.

"_She is just like Cougar, but a chick. A female deadly Cougar._" He thought as she stood before him. _"I don't know if I should be turned on or… scared shitless."_

She stood, completely motionless like a statue, something he had seen her brother do on multiple occasions. She heard the others in the trees surrounding her home, knowing they were most likely inspecting the bodies of the men she had shot. A moment passed and soon she heard a bird song echo, one of a bird that wasn't supposed to be there. She smiled, returning the sound. She turned to Jensen and motioned for him to stand, something he did slowly but she turned and mimicked her motions to show Aisha she could come out.

They did, their own guns drawn as their eyes trained on their surroundings. A few minutes later the three men returned, Cougar making his way to his sister's side. Clay smiled at the concern on the man's face as his little sister shooed him away, forcing him to realize she was fine.

"So, anyone feel like telling me what the hell that was about?" Pooch asked as he kicked the dead body in her entryway.

Cougar turned to his sister and spoke. She cocked a brow to him making the others wonder how he was phrasing the question before she replied. The two were speaking to one another, the others in the room forced to see what they were able to discern from the conversation. But as they stood there, wondering what the hell was going on; the two Spaniards began to argue with one another. Nothing can get bad so fast as when to Latin tempers were being tested.

It was as though there was no one else in the small home as Cougar and Gabriella began to argue like a pair of children. Pooch and Aisha sighed, taking their seats once more as Jensen watched, his mouth in the shape of an 'o' at the sight of someone not afraid to yell at Cougar while Clay simply shook his head.

"Hey!" he snapped, breaking their fight. "Someone going to say something?"

Cougar sighed, pointing his finger at the young woman and muttering something to her. Her response was mocking him, throwing her hands in the air and making her way to the refrigerator for a drink. Jensen snickered at the action.

"She says they have been coming for her for over a week." Cougar answered, his eyes staring at his little, impudent sister.

"You recognize them don't you?" Clay asked, his attention on Pooch as the man rolled the body over.

He examined the corpse, suddenly recognizing the uniform.

"Dude you serious?" Pooch asked slightly surprised. "How the hell she get mixed up with Max?"

Cougar glared at the young woman who did nothing but cock her brow defiantly.

"She was in charge of training some of his men. His security." Cougar answered almost as though he were disappointed in her decision to help.

"She's helping Max?" Aisha asked angrily pointing her gun at the young woman.

Cougar immediately aimed his own weapon at Aisha, ready to shoot her dead if she harmed Gabriella.

**Let me know if the Spanish translations work for you guys. it's always difficult trying to find out where to put them and if they're too far back then you lose the emotion they're said with so I'm going to try putting them directly behind what's being said. Let me know if it's okay or I made it too much more confusing.**


	3. Chapter 3

The Losers 3

Cougar immediately aimed his own weapon at Aisha, ready to shoot her dead if she harmed Gabriella. The tension in the air grew. Aisha's eyes remained on the young woman as the sniper stayed fixed to her. Everyone in the room knew that if Aisha was going to shoot Gabriella, she would have to make sure it counted because there was no way she would walk away from this. The young woman however only smiled evilly as she raised the hem of her skirt, much to Jensen's delight. A moment later, a sheath baring four throwing knives was revealed. Taking one into her hand, Gabriella let the skirt fall once more.

"Usted utiliza tu arma y utilizaré los míos y veremos quién muere primero." She taunted forcing Cougar to smile. _(You use your weapon and I'll use mine and we'll see who dies first.)_

"Aisha, drop your weapon." Clay told her sternly.

Slowly, glaring at the woman with the knife she lowered her gun.

"Cougar, why was she training guys for Max?"

"As security for the compound." He answered calmly lowering his own gun.

"And why was she doing that?" Pooch asked.

"He paid her."

"And now he wants to kill her." Clay sighed. "Did she know what he was doing? Who he is?"

Cougar only shook his head. That had been part of their argument. Cougar was angry with her for helping someone like him, knowing what he had done only to have her refute it. The only thing she was ever told was the man simply wanted men to guard his compound, the warehouses etc the Losers were now trying to get into. Apparently, she did too good a job for Max's liking or she had found something out she wasn't meant to because now she had visitors with guns and specific orders to terminate her.

"What is she going to do now?" Jensen asked, wondering if he was actually wondering out of curiosity about where the young woman would go for a more selfish reason.

Cougar sighed before turning to Gabriella, the young woman tossing her empty beer bottle into the trash can.

"¿Qué usted va ahora a hacer?" he asked her calmly. _(What are you going to do now?)_

"¿Ahora estoy en la conversación?" she asked sarcastically. Cougar only rolled his eyes, waiting for her to reply. "No tengo gusto de la gente que intenta matarme. Yo quisiera matarlos a cambio." (_Now I'm in the conversation? I don't like people trying to kill me. It makes me want to kill them back.)_

"Éste no es juego. Es peligroso." He snapped. _(This isn't a game. This is dangerous.)_

The young woman stood, making her way to her brother, her eyes staring directly into his.

"Puedo tomar el cuidado de me. Ahora lo he hecho por años." She answered angrily, her voice low. "Lo haré con o sin usted. Hermano." (_I can take care of myself. I've done it for years now. And I can do it, with or without you. Brother.)_

Her words were mean and had the desired effect. The man in front of her wavered slightly under her gaze. His brow creased for only a split second before she sighed and walked off into her room, slamming the door behind her. It took him a moment, but Cougar knew he heard her crying within.

"Is she coming with us?" Clay asked finally.

Cougar's eyes shot to his with a questioning glance.

"If she stays here, he'll keep sending guys to kill her and you know it. Eventually, one of them will get lucky. Go talk to her. Bring her to the hotel when you're done."

Clay patted the man's shoulder before turning to the others.

"Losers, fall out."

With a wave of his hand, the others left the small home, making their way back to the hotel they had been inhabiting for the past few days. Jensen glanced back once more, watching Cougar knock lightly on Gabriella's door before entering. Sibling problems. He knew what it was like. With a sigh, he left the home and went to his own, knowing he was more than ready for bed.

!

Jensen lay on the couch, asleep for anyone who cared to look. Pooch sitting in a chair, the same, while Aisha and Clay slept in the bed. Sometimes it was really uncomfortable having those two sharing a room, but it wasn't like anyone else wanted to share one with her.

The four slept while Cougar helped his sister gather a few things and join them at the hotel. She walked in, smiling at the people who seemed to fall asleep so easily anywhere before setting her duffel bag down. Cougar whispered to her, telling her that she could take his bed in the room he had been forced to share with Jensen while he took the couch. She smiled and left the small room while Cougar went about waking Pooch and Jensen, sending them to their rooms and beds as though he was their parent.

Jensen was groggy as he made his way down the hall of the trashed hotel. He was tired and didn't like being awaken by anyone, let alone Cougar. The man was always a little rude when he did it. But slowly, he made his way down the hall and into his room, crashing down on his bed for the night.

Cougar stepped silently into the hotel room, smiling when he heard the quiet snoring of his compatriot through his cracked door, the door to his own room closed. Slowly, Cougar closed Jensen's door the rest of the way, determined to have a bit more silence, before lying down on the couch, kicking off his boots and pulling down the brim of his hat to sleep.

Morning came too soon for the hacker as light began to pour in through the rather decrepit curtains. Jensen stretched his body, feeling that he was bordering on waking but not much wanting to. He yawned loudly before settling back down. As he lay there, ready for sleep to take hold once more, he felt something come across his chest, something he hadn't been expecting. With his eyes still closed, Jensen grasped the object, feeling the warm soft skin of someone's arm. Glancing down, it was confirmed. His fingers laced into those of the hand, smiling to himself as a head came and rested in the nape of his neck. His own head turned, cuddling into the person before realization suddenly hit.

Jensen's eyes went wide as he dared to glance at the hand he was holding. It was delicate, a narrow wrist decorated with bracelets and dog tags, and soft. Female, definitely female and the one he knew he couldn't be holding like he was. He felt his body suddenly go tense as he shot up and out of bed. He stumbled, hitting the ground loudly as he stared at the figure in his bed. The young woman did little to move as she cradled a pillow in Jensen's wake. The sounds, however, alerted the one man he didn't want to see the situation.

Cougar burst through the door, thinking something was wrong, a handgun in his hand. Gabriella rose her head, staring around her wondering what all of the fuss was as anger took hold of Cougar's face. Jensen opened his mouth to speak, his hands coming out in front of his body defensively at the dangerous man with the weapon. He had never seen the sniper this angry and all of it was aimed towards him.

"Whoa Cougs…" he said cautiously. "I didn't… she just… I don't know how she got there." His voice was getting a bit higher than usual as he defended himself. "Seriously man. I would never… I mean… I'm in _my_ room…" he said quickly before looking around. "This is my room right?"

Cougar knew it was but the anger of knowing that Jensen had slept in the same bed as Gabriella had infuriated him.

"¿Por qué está usted en aquí Gabriela?" he asked her, still angry about the situation. _(What are you doing in here Gabriella?)_

"Estoy intentando dormer." She muttered in a dreamy voice. _(I'm trying to sleep)_

"En Jensen's cama?" he growled. _(In Jensen's bed?)_

The young woman lifted her head, looking at the room around her. She shrugged before sitting up.

"No sabía que era su sitio." She answered simply, standing and taking the blanket. (_I didn't know this was his room.)_

She seemed completely indifferent to the entire situation as she stole Jensen's blanket and walked towards the door. It was then the man suddenly realized how much, or how little she was wearing. Gabriella had apparently had enough time to change into a small pair of shorts, and a thin strapped shirt. He couldn't help but stare at her as she walked off, his head tilting to the side as he admired how much of her backside managed to escape the fabric before seeing the seething eyes of Cougar.

"I…" he stammered. "Uh…"

He had nothing to say as Cougar stood there in his doorway, eying him dangerously. His hands were still up when the man un-cocked his gun and left the room. Jensen let out a deep breath, one he wasn't sure he had been holding before he fell onto his bed.

"Now I'm going to have a heart attack." He muttered to himself.


	4. Chapter 4

The Losers 4

When the others had finished waking and going about their morning rituals, Clay called for them all to meet in his room. One by one, they all filed in, cut Jensen had to admit he wasn't too excited about the idea. He didn't want to be around Cougar at the moment. Although he knew he didn't do anything wrong, there was still that odd look of mayhem in the Sniper's eyes that bothered him. But still, they had plans they had to go over. So taking a deep breath, the man made his way into the hotel room.

Cougar and Gabriella were already there, the young woman only smiling at him when his cheeks blushed a bit at seeing her, her brother glaring. The crocked smile Jensen wore on his face at the sight of her faded instantly when Cougar's dark eyes met his. Slowly, Jensen made his way to the couch and sat as Clay spoke up.

"So, there's a been a slight change in plans." Clay announced loudly. "We're still doing recon but now we have something extra."

The others stared at him for a moment, wondering what he was talking about before he smiled at the young woman.

"Gabriella." He said with a smile.

The young woman looked to him, wondering why he was grinning at her when Cougar began to shake his head.

"No."

"I wasn't asking Cougar."

"No boss. She's my sister."

"She's the only one of us that has been inside those gates. She knows her way around better than we do. We need her."

"Yeah man," Pooch added. "And it's not like she can't handle herself. I mean you saw her last night."

Cougar growled internally at the notion before turning and whispering something to Gabriella. She listened intently before smiling and responding. The two carried on their own conversation, Cougar looking less and less excited about the idea as he spoke but the excitement on hers was almost contagious. When their talk had ended, Cougar turned to Clay and begrudgingly nodded.

"Excellent." Clay smiled. "Let's get to work."

Everyone went about their jobs. Pooch did a once over with their vehicle, making sure there was no way the old beater would break down, at least not near the compound. Aisha had gathered the weapons they might need from her private arsenal and began to clean and prep them. Jensen typed away at his computer, trying to get as many different angles from the satellites he had hacked as he could. Clay stood over the small table, staring down at the map Jensen had already printed for him searching for weaknesses. And Cougar had gone back to Gabriella's house with her at her insistence that there were a few more things she would need if she was never coming back, which is what he made it seem like.

She knew she wouldn't die, having more faith in her brother than that to protect her. And she wasn't worried about the others not being able to hold their own having already heard stories of some of the missions they had gone on, ones Cougar had been able to actually tell her (which weren't many) so she knew she could trust them if he did. But there was no coming back to her small home in the middle of the small Costa Rican city. She knew, that even when they were successful at gathering whatever it was her brother and the others needed, that there was no place for her here. Yet again, she would have to pack her bags and move somewhere else in South America and start a new life. It was getting pretty old.

"Es todo?" Cougar asked as she walked out of her bedroom with a small bag.

She gave her home a good once over, making sure she did an internal check of her secret weapon stashes before smiling to him and nodding. The sniper smiled to his sister as he slung another small duffel bag of clothes over his shoulder, her holding onto the one small one from her room as they made their way to the door. As he kicked the body aside, she paused. He looked to her confused for a moment before she ran back inside and grabbed the small photo of her and Cougar as children.

"Ahora es todo." She smiled.

He pulled her under his arm as the two made their way to his car, throwing the bags in before he handed her a bottle of tequila. She took it, drank one shot from the mouth before he shoved the cloth rag inside the neck. The young woman reached into her pocket as he held the bottle upside down for a moment, letting the alcohol drench the cloth before she pulled out her lighter. Taking the bottle, Gabriella walked to the side of her home and sighed as she lit the cloth.

"Adios." She muttered, kissing her hand and sending her farewell to her small abode.

A moment later she launched the bottle through a screen, watching as it crashed to the floor just beside the pile of bodies they had retrieved from the forest. Within minutes the home was ignited. Cougar bowed lightly to the home before whistling to Gabriella. She turned and hopped into the car, the two of them speeding away as the flames licked at the wooden building, engulfing any evidence of the men that had hunted her or her life in this small country.

"You guys take care of it?" Clay asked as Gabriella and Cougar walked into the room.

The sniper nodded as he closed the door behind them. Clay nodded, before returning his gaze to the paper in front of him. Gabriella had placed her other clothing filled bag in her brother's room, but opted to keep the smaller one and a few things she had pulled from her previous duffel. He didn't argue as she came into the apartment and sat on the couch across from Aisha.

A few of the people in the room couldn't help but watch her as they halfheartedly went about their business, something they wouldn't have done at all if the bag she had set on the coffee table hadn't made a very distinct 'clank' sound.

They could tell from the awkward shape that the bag was heavy and filled with all sorts of metal trinkets. The only thing to do now was wait until she revealed her prize. She didn't have to wait long. Gabriella hadn't noticed them staring, or didn't care as she untied the top of the bag and reached inside. The first thing to emerge was the sheath Jensen had noticed she had tied to her thigh the night before, the four blades still securely fastened within. She lay it on the table before her before grabbing for something new. The action in the room had all but ceased as they watched her sift through her bag. Even Clay had stood from his painfully hunched position over the table to see what other toys she owned. In total, the young woman had pulled out a grand total of four throwing knives, two butterfly knifes, a Bowie knife, a straight blade razor, a switch blade, and about three decently sized pocket knives.

"Dude she's like Roque with all those things." Jensen muttered to a nearby Clay. The man only nodded.

They had wondered if this was the end only to have her begin to reach in once more. A moment later she had produced the gun Jensen had seen the night before a long with its 'sister', a small revolver and Chrome Baby Eagle that made Cougar smile. With the weapons on display, all that remained in the bag were tools to clean and sharpen them, along with spare magazines.

"Coug, does she think she's going to war?" Clay asked, delighting in the slight jealousy he saw in Aisha's eyes at the massive display in front of her.

"She says it's better to have something and not need it, then need it and not have it." He answered with a slight smirk.

"Good philosophy." Clay chuckled before turning to the map once more. "Jensen you find anything new?"

"Huh?" the hacker asked, unsure of who had spoken until Clay eyed him. "Almost. They're constantly coming up ad changing the passwords and encryption codes for the satellites by the time I actually crack them. It's like they have something they don't want me to see." He chuckled.

"Just keep working at it."

"You got it boss." He said before his eyes traveled to the young woman that was dismantling her guns, unaware she was being ogled.

"Work Jensen." Clay countered, not even having to bother looking at the man to know he wasn't.

"Yeah." He answered, being shocked back into his task before typing away once more. "No problem."

The young man returned his attention to his screen, smiling like an idiot to himself as he typed.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thank you, all of you, for your reviews and favs. I appreciate it so much. It makes me want to get the next chapter up and out asap. lol**

Losers 5

At some point, Clay had abducted Gabriella and Cougar, using the sniper for translations as the others went out in search of food and parts for Pooch. The three stood, leaning over the map of the compound they intended to hit. Clay spoke while Cougar muttered the translation to his sister, their eyes intently staring at the places Clay had marked out. They spoke at length, the young woman telling them what they needed to know, places they were more likely to find information for Jensen to steal, or anything else that they might need and where the men were most likely going to be stationed.

It was straight forward and to the point, the one thing Clay appreciated more than anything. She didn't sugar coat it by saying things would most likely be okay, she was honest. If he asked what the safest way was, she told him, making sure to emphasize why. She told him which men at which posts were most likely the best shots or carrying the heaviest firepower and which ones she had trained to do what. She was becoming invaluable and it was bothering Cougar. He didn't want to say anything but he was worried about her, the same as any brother would be.

When the others came back, Clay went about telling them what was going to happen as Jensen and Pooch handed out the food. He told them they were leaving in two days time, more than enough to make sure every 't' was crossed and every 'I' was dotted. They didn't want a repeat of what had happened in Los Angeles.

"And what about _her_?" Aisha asked.

The disdain in her voice was more than enough for everyone to hear, including the young woman she was talking about. Gabriella didn't reply as she stared down the tiny woman that seemed to hate her so much. Aisha wasn't going to back down from the glare, nor did she feel she had to as she adjusted herself to take the full brunt of the woman's gaze, their eyes never diverting and Jensen was certain never blinking. Finally, Clay spoke, breaking the tension before one tried to kill the other.

"Gabriella's going to be covering Cougar's back from a higher vantage point, making sure all of us are covered."

"I don't trust her." She replied under her breath, her eyes going to Clay's.

"I don't care." Pooch added. "Do you care?" he asked anyone else.

The others simply shook their heads before Pooch turned to Aisha once more.

"No one here trusts you either."

"Fine." She growled, standing before storming off to her room.

"Really Pooch? You had to piss of the chick that doesn't have a problem slitting our throats in our sleep?" Jensen asked with a sigh.

He shrugged.

"I don't care." He answered, taking a bite of his lunch as he leaned back into his seat.

The events of the day finally went on, the others going on about their business. Even Aisha had calmed down and made an appearance, although, no one seemed to pay her any attention at all. Clay and Cougar were finding the best spots to set up, Pooch putting the final touches on his vehicle and Gabriella sitting back on the couch as she ran a sharpening stone slowly down the blade in her hands, lazily sharpening it.

The sound made Jensen's back tightened as memories of sitting next to Roque when he did it flashed into his mind, but he suppressed them with a shudder. He glanced over at the two men at the table, relieved that for once Cougar wasn't within arm's reach of Gabriella, but wondering how long it would take him to get there if he saw Jensen talking to her. He stood slowly, swallowing hard as he steadied himself. Despite Cougar enjoying it when Jensen struggled around women, he knew this wouldn't be the case.

Slowly, taking steps much larger than he normally would to ensure he would get there quickly, Jensen walked to her side, his eyes still trained on Cougar before his shin hit the couch. He sputtered in the pain before seeing the young woman looking at him, surprised he was there, but laughing quietly that he had done something so clumsy. There they were again, the brilliant green of her eyes as she smiled kindly to him. The crocked, half smile returned to Jensen's mouth as his hand came up in another attempt at a wave. She nodded her hello to him before scooting over in the couch and patting the cushion beside her.

His jaw dropped. She was offering him the seat next to her. Forcing a nervous laugh and a smile, Jensen fell into the couch. He had meant for it to be smoother than it was, but his knees had all but stopped working and gravity took over the rest. The young woman next to him had bounced, unable to really steady herself in her cross legged position, her hand coming out and touching Jensen to keep herself from falling as she giggled. Jensen felt the heat rise in his cheeks at her contact before he shook his head, determined not to sound like as big of a loser as he had the tendency to do.

"So uh, yeah hi." He said to her, this time able to actually wave.

The young woman cocked a brow, a smile still playing at her lips as she raised her hand in a greeting as well. Jensen felt a bit of his reserve come back and figured he might as well make the best of the situation at hand. He knew she couldn't speak English and that Cougar was going to come and throw his through the third story window soon anyway so he might as well go for broke. Taking a deep breath, Jensen readied himself for the mass of words that was about to spring from his mouth.

"So I just wanted to say hi, and that I can't believe you're Cougar's sister. I mean it's cool and all but kind of scary too. Not that you're scary but… I mean actually you're pretty gorgeous and I know you don't understand what I'm saying but it doesn't matter cause you'd probably stare at me the way you are right now…" he stammered, the words coming out almost too fast for him to keep up as Gabriella's eyes widened, still smiling with the sheer amount of talking he was doing. "But I just wanted to tell you that you are by far the hottest chick I've ever met and I'm sorry about this morning. Well, technically you were the one that snuck into my bed." He laughed slightly. "So if you ever want to do it again, just feel free to..." His voice had shifted into the best 'suave' impression he could muster before his mouth immediately snapped shut.

Cold suddenly engulfed him and he knew the end was near. Something was standing behind him, and not just something, but someone. He could feel the eyes of the Spaniard on the back of his head, almost burning him before he managed to brave a glance. Tilting his head back, Jensen did his best to muster a smile at the nearly black eyes staring back at him.

"Heeey…. Cougs…" he choked out.

The sniper didn't reply only twitched his head slightly, more than enough of a signal for the Hacker to pick up on. Quickly he stood and made his way back to his far table, going back about his business as he tried to hide behind his computer screen. He faintly heard Gabriella saying something to her brother, something Jensen was certain sounded disciplinary, and Cougar retort, but he didn't want to ask what was said. Best thing to do was to leave them be for the moment and hope Cougar wouldn't try to kill him.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~

Some time had passed, a few hours since the little incident and he found himself taking a break from working on his little device and watching her from a distance, not quite hidden in the background but damn close, as she and Cougar cleaned their guns, readying themselves for what was going to happen in the next two days.

Honestly he wasn't nervous, not more than he normally was before they did their jobs since he knew for a fact that Cougar would be watching his back. He knew the man may not have been happy with the young hacker making 'moon-eyes' at his little sister, but he knew that if Cougar wanted to kill him, he wouldn't let him die during the job. He would most likely slit his throat in the middle of the night while he slept.

Jensen laughed a nervous laugh before realizing how terrifying the thought of never waking up really was. He shook the idea from his head, the truly disturbing notion as his eyes trained once more on the two before him. He hadn't been talking to her much in the past couple of days since she had been here, other than the embarrassing dialogue from earlier in the day. He never knew what to say to women, let alone beautiful woman. But he had to admit, as bad as earlier was it was so much easier since she couldn't understand a single stupid word that came out of his mouth. He shook his head, looking at the shagged, disgusting carpet of the run down hotel room they were in. He ran his fingers through his hair before looking up once more.

Jensen jumped, nearly falling back in his chair when he was confronted by Cougar, standing not two feet in front of him with his arms crossed dangerously in front of his chest. His nearly black eyes bore down on the man before him, his face unchanging as the hacker began to fidget under his gaze. Jensen tried to mutter words, to make his mouth work but nothing came out. Without speaking, Cougar motioned for the hacker to follow before walking off.

Jensen looked around for someone to save him, for someone to say he didn't have to go anywhere. Instead, Clay and Aisha had the same wicked grin on their faces as Pooch, who was actually laughing as he stared. But when his eyes fell on Gabriella, he had hoped she would shake her head or something, telling him he didn't have to go anywhere. Instead, she only stared at him, her face stoic, her actions doing nothing that would save him from his fate. Reluctantly, he stood, glancing to the others once more.

"If I'm not back in ten minutes, Cougar did it." Jensen said before walking off in the direction the sniper had gone.

He walked through the hallways of the hotel, searching for which of their rooms Cougar had walked into only to find the sniper leaning against the far wall of the hallway. His head was down, arms still crossed in front of his body, a foot propped up on the wall behind him. He stood motionless, waiting for the man he had wanted to speak with to come walking closer. Jensen hesitated, the shadows being cast by the dim lighting making the already scary man all the more frightening. He took a deep breath, figuring he might as well go ahead with what he was doing. There wasn't much to lose, only his life.

He walked forward, his shoes making almost no sound on the floor as he crept forward. He was focused so much on whether or not Cougar was going to move that a loose floorboard creaking under his foot nearly sent him flying into the air. But still, he walked closer. It had taken less time for him to make it to the end of the hallway than he would have liked but finally he was there, making sure to stand more than enough distance away so he could run if Cougar moved too fast.

"So," he chimed, clapping his hands together as though trying to make conversation. "Big day coming up huh?" he laughed nervously.

Cougar said nothing, his head slowly rising to look the man in the face. Jensen felt the lump return in his throat as Cougar's nearly black eyes peeked out from under the brim of his cowboy hat. Still, he said nothing only stared at the man before him.

"There something you needed man?" Jensen asked, still nervous from Cougar's lack of speech.

Still the man said nothing and Jensen had a sneaking feeling he knew what this whole thing was about. He felt a cold feeling creep into his gut at the thought that Cougar may have found out what he had said, exactly, to Gabriella. He swallowed hard. If that was the case he was screwed, but if it wasn't, he wasn't going to be stupid enough to tell the man.

"Seriously dude what's this about?" he asked, his nerves getting the better of him now. "This about Gabriella?"

Cougar's eyebrow rose ever so slightly at the mention of his sister.

"I wasn't gonna do anything." Jensen quickly defended. "I was just being nice to her man. She doesn't even speak English." Still Cougar said nothing, only watched the man squirm. "Fine! I won't talk to her anymore! Okay? Just don't slit my throat in my sleep."

Cougar pushed himself off of the wall causing Jensen to twitch slightly. He didn't honestly think the man would harm him under normal circumstances but this was the man's sister. Jensen knew he'd kill for his family so there was no telling how this would go. He watched as Cougar walked pass him, their eyes still connected until the sniper was passed, making his way back towards the room they were all inhabiting. Jensen let out a long sigh of relief, not even knowing he had been holding his breath. Cougar, on the other hand, only smiled his victory before disappearing behind a door.


	6. Chapter 6

Preparations had all but been finalized by that night. Cougar, Pooch and Clay were leaving to scout what the security at night would be like. Pooch needed to see where the best place to drive was. It wasn't that he didn't trust the satellite photos Jensen had taken it was just something he preferred to do; see the area before hand to know where to go. Clay had to see the layout for himself while Cougar wanted to scope the people that might be hidden. He hadn't been too happy to leave Gabriella alone in the same building with Jensen but he didn't have a choice. The young woman had assured him she would be fine, another small argument later he relented. The thought of someone making Cougar submit was just hilarious to Jensen who didn't even bother hiding his smile until Cougar had looked at him before leaving.

But true to her word, Gabriella bid goodnight to the others and made her way to her hotel suite. She was unusually tired; something that rarely happened to her but whatever the reason it didn't matter. In just over twenty four hours, they would set their plan into action. The young women lay in the bed, drifting in and out of sleep. As she lay there, trying her best to sleep in her hotel room, her brother and Pooch still not back with Clay, she heard something. There was a noise, one that jostled her violently from her sleep.

Shooting out of her bed, Gabriella had her gun aimed at the sound. Her eyes took a moment to adjust to her surroundings but when she had, she finally saw the source of the disturbance. She breathed a calming breath before un-cocking her gun and returning it to the spot beneath her pillow.

"Holy shit!" Jensen yelled loudly at the sudden shock of having a gun aimed at him in the middle of the night. "Jesus," he sighed, trying to steady his heart beat after what had happened. "Remind me to never sneak up on you people."

"Lo siento." She muttered, trying to calm her own mind after the sudden shock of waking. "Usted me asustó."

"Huh?" he asked before realizing she had apologized. He knew that much. "Oh, don't worry about that." He said, trying to make it appear as though his knees weren't wavering.

She smiled kindly as she propped her legs up on the bed, running her hand through her hair. She looked to him, seeing the fear still in his eyes and laughed slightly. She simply smiled, enjoying his frightened face as she sat aside, patting the bed and beckoning for him to sit.

"¿Cómo puedo ayudarle?" _(How can I help you?)_

His brow furrowed slightly, his mouth hanging open a bit as he sat on the bed beside her, his mind trying to understand what she had said. He stared into her eyes, feeling himself almost drown in their warmth. Suddenly, he shook his head, bringing himself forward before remembering what he had done. He beamed a smile of pride as he pulled a small device from his pocket and showed it to her.

Gabriella's eyes narrowed as she looked at the small device that she would only be able to classify as small computer, not much larger than a tape recorder. He handed it to her and watched as she stared at it, obviously impressed by the handy-work before handing it back to him. She shrugged, not knowing why he had shown it to her. He smiled and pressed a button before speaking.

"I made this so I could talk to you. It's a nifty translator I whipped up."

When his sentence finished, Jensen typed a few buttons on the surface and played back the converted message. A smile crossed her lips before she laughed. He could tell she enjoyed the idea, all the more evident by her sweet laughter. But as he listened to it, Jensen felt the sound engulf him, sending chills down his body before she made a few motions.

"Oh, yeah…" he answered, fiddling with the device for a moment before holding it to her mouth.

She muttered a few words, ones he didn't understand before he played the message.

"Is this how it works?" a computerized voice asked.

The young woman's eyes shot wide as her hands came to her mouth before she giggled once more. Slowly, she grabbed the device from him and began to press buttons.

"Oh no, you have to be careful…" he said, trying to keep her from destroying his fragile device, his hands coming forward only to have her slap them away. He watched as she spoke into the device before pressing play.

"This is a very smart little invention. You are very smart." The voice came back saying.

Jensen blushed slightly at the comment, sputtering his little nonsensical mutterings with a smile on his face.

"Thank you." He smiled before grabbing the tool from her. "How did you know what to press?" he asked, suddenly curious as to how she had done it before playing it for her. She smiled and responded.

"I watched you. I have a good memory."

"I guess so." He said quietly, laughing to himself before addressing the machine once more. "This way, I can talk to you and I don't have to worry about your brother trying to kill me."

The young woman listened and laughed, her eyes still on those of the man who was addressing her before replying.

"He would not kill you. Maybe torture you, but not kill you. He is only protecting me." The computer answered.

"That doesn't make me feel better." Jensen sighed to himself. "So, did I scare you?" he asked her.

She smiled kindly.

"I was not expecting someone to walk in the door. I am sorry for pointing my gun at you."

He smiled kindly to her, unable to keep from doing it with her infectious smile aimed directly at him. The two sat there for a moment, staring at one another. He couldn't help it. He was sucked into her eyes as he had been before, but knew this was wrong. Once more, that small voice that was screaming at him, the same as it had been when he had talked to her before, screaming its self-preservation. But as they sat there in their own world, he felt her hand lightly clasp over his and pulled the device close to her mouth as she spoke into it, her eyes still locked to his.

He felt his heart beginning to beat erratically at the sensation of her hot breath gracing his skin. He felt goose bumps begin to form starting on his hands and spreading through his entire body before he felt his skin shudder slightly. He couldn't help the emotion she was forcing through him at the sight and sensation of her breath and having her full lips only mere centimeters from his fingers. A moment later, she pressed play.

"I was just wondering why you came into my room tonight while I was sleeping."

Jensen opened his mouth to speak but nothing would come out. He knew exactly why he had come in to her room, why he had woke her up instead of waiting until the morning. But he didn't want to tell her that. He waited the silence stretching on as she stared at him, a smirk on her lips with her brow cocked. Finally, after swallowing the rather large lump in his throat, he spoke.

"I wanted to come and show you this." He managed to choke out, shaking the device in his hand as the message played.

The young woman smiled, her face blushing ever so slightly in the dim light of the room, something that made Jensen very happy to see. This was probably the first time he had made a woman blush. He basked in his victory before she said something new.

"And why did you make this little device?" the computer asked him.

Now it was Jensen's turn to blush. He had been caught and there was no way around it. His face turned a bright red as he tried to think of something to say. Again, his mouth opened and closed, similar to a fish out of water before he cleared his throat. He did his best to steady his voice before speaking.

"I didn't want Cougar to be the only one to be able to talk to you." He said sheepishly.

The young woman smiled kindly once more, a slight laugh leaving her lips before she looked back into his eyes and spoke into the contraption once more. He watched as she finished what she had to say before leaning forward and kissing him lightly on the cheek. A moment later she stood and left the room. Quickly, wondering why she had left, Jensen translated her message and waited to hear what she had to say.

"You are a very sweet man and I am happy you have made this machine. It is our little secret."

He smiled to himself, sighing a heavy relief that she liked what he had done for the two of them, and seemed to like him. Then, a sudden panic seemed to set it. She liked him. What the hell was he going to do now? Now that he had made a way to talk to her, that meant he was going to have to talk to her. Fear ripped through him before something brought him from his thoughts. It took him a moment but Jensen soon realized he was standing alone in the Sniper's sister's room. Moving quickly, Jensen all but ran from the room, praying he wouldn't be discovered by the man.


	7. Chapter 7

The night of the mission finally came. The group sat in Clay and Aisha's room checking weapons and going over plans. Gabriella was weighing and messing with a rifle Cougar had lent her for the night, all of her guns having only been hand guns, things she concealed on person instead of long range. He knew it was bigger than she was used to but she would have no problem firing it.

Jensen loaded his own gear, a computer he kept with him at all times just in case and everything he would need to siphon information out of the computers at the compound, along with a few weapons he had. Again, just in case.

Aisha did the same, checking her guns for ammunition as she placed them in all of their holders, making sure she would have ample firing power. Pooch checked his sidearm and made sure he had his binoculars. Clay went over the plan again and again in his head while his fingers played idly with his gun. But Gabriella had been a bit surprising, loading herself with her butterfly knives, throwing knives and a handgun she had all but rivaled Aisha in the amount of weaponry on one person, though hers were a bit more 'in your face' then the other woman's.

Clay went about handing ear bud coms to everyone, including the newcomer, checked if they were working and set out. The ride in the car was more or less silent as Pooch navigated his way through the dense jungle, glad he had gone ahead and checked. Clay checked his watch. 2:52 am. They had eight minutes to get to their station, which was more than enough, and as of three a.m., they had ten to get the information and get out. It seemed a bit excessive but with the security they had seen and the amount of information Jensen was going to steal, they needed the time.

Killing the lights more than a mile before the camp, Pooch switched to a pair of night vision goggles, making it all the easier for him to see and not be seen. The others felt their nerves go on end. It wasn't that they didn't trust Pooch. It was that they couldn't see what the hell was going on around them, the blackness of the jungle closing in around them and the thick canopy of leaves ahead not allowing for any moonlight to shine through. But they knew he was good, the best among them, so gritting their teeth they waited until he stopped. The moment the car came to a halt, they broke off into their separate teams and went to work.

Pooch sat on the hood of the car, using his night vision to watch everything unfold, his sidearm ready and waiting if it needed to be used. The others filed in behind Clay as he found the blind spot in the cameras and began to cut his way through the fence. 3:00 am. The moment the fence hit the ground, Cougar and Gabriella ran off into separate directions, each with a rifle slung over their shoulders. The remaining three made their way in a bit deeper before Jensen broke off.

Cougar lay on his stomach on top of one of the buildings as he watched Jensen through his scope. He was thinking about the man flirting shamelessly with his little sister and growled internally before shaking the thought away. He had the job to focus on and if he had a problem with the man, now was not the time. So pushing the feeling down once more, burying it completely, Cougar focused. Out of the corner of his scope, he caught a glimpse of Gabriella lying on the building a few yards from him and a good story higher and smiled.

Clay and Aisha took positions on either side of the building Jensen was about to enter, laying explosives where they saw fit to destroy whatever information they could and hoping the records within were the only copies. Clay glanced at his watch once more. 3:06 a.m.

"You got four minutes Jensen." He said over the coms.

"More than enough." The Hacker muttered, mostly to himself as he put the finishing touches on his work.

As the time ticked by, the downloading sequence nearly finished, a shot rang out. The Losers stopped, each of them waiting to hear who had been struck, who was in trouble and who had been spotted. They had their answer.

"Carlos," Gabriella whispered, staring through the scope of her rifle to a non-moving brother. Tears began to well in her eyes as she searched for the sound of the shot and found the son of a bitch who did it. Taking aim, one shot finished the man before she turned back to her brother. "Carlos!" She said, her voice almost breaking.

"Cougar's been hit. Let's move!" Clay yelled over the coms.

There was no hiding anymore. They had started a war against the Losers and didn't even know it. Shots began to ring out as Clay and Aisha came out of their hiding places, the young woman on the building beginning to feel the tears run down her cheeks as she picked off one man after another.

When the four that had been hiding at the sniping points had been taken care of, Gabriella stood, slung the rifle over her shoulder and ran to her brother. She dodged through the air-conditioning units on the roof, before sliding her way down the ladder on the side of the building.

Gunshot still echoed as Jensen made his way out of the building, everyone firing at someone while more came. The young woman however didn't care about any of it as she ran to her brother, throwing herself up onto the building he was on and rushing to his side. She slid on her knees, cutting the pants she was wearing and her skin before she stopped at his side.

Cougar wasn't moving. Her breath hitched in her throat as a new torrent of tears flowed from her eyes. Her hands came under him to push him over, a warm liquid gracing her skin as she did. She could see the wound. It was a single shot, making its way almost horizontally through his body. She could tell it had entered through his shoulder and when she had flipped him over, she saw that it had come out his sternum. Her hands came to his face as she tried to wake him.

"Carlos," she cried as she held his face. "Despierte. Carlos despierta por favor."

As she leaned over him, still trying to rouse him, she felt strong hands pull her back. She screamed, trying to remain at his side when a building lit up in fire. Again, the hands pulled her back as clay came into view and grabbed Cougar. The young woman tried to get to her brother before arms tightened around her to keep her from trying to rip the man out of Clay's grasp.

"Shh, Gabriella. Calm down. Come on." Jensen whispered into her ear.

It took too much trying on his part but soon they had left the compound, Aisha setting off a few more explosions to cover their escape. Pooch sped dangerously through the thick trees as made their way out, Gabriella and Jensen both holding one of the wounds on Cougar closed as Aisha got on the phone.

There weren't many places she had friends. In fact, the woman just didn't have friend's period, but here she at least had an acquaintance that would help them, a man that knew a doctor at the hospital, one that wouldn't call the police or ask questions. She was busy speaking to him quickly, trying to tell him they were on their way while Jensen watched Gabriella.

She was sobbing; there was no other way to classify it. Weeping didn't have the depth and crying didn't seem fitting since she had begun shaking. Her hands were held down tightly on the wound on her brother's chest while she looked into his face, her hands soaked in his blood, her hand prints on his cheeks. But he still wasn't responding. He was breathing, that was what gave her hope, so he was alive, but they didn't know by how much.

Jensen's brow creased as he watched her. He was afraid of losing his friend, true, but he couldn't imagine how the young woman was feeling right now. He felt his eyes burn as though he himself wanted to cry as she leaned down and began to whisper into the man's ear. He didn't know what she was saying to Cougar but he doubted it was too far off from what she had been saying this whole time.

She was still crying as something touched her cheek gently. The young woman had all but stopped breathing as she looked to see what it was. Her eyes shot wide as she looked into the face of her brother, his eyes open but just barely as he forced a smile. She laughed through her sobs as she hugged him.

"Shhh." Cougar whispered to her as his hand rested on the back of her head while she hugged him. "No se preocupe mi muñequita."

The young woman cried harder, spouting her apologies as the car sped on towards the hospital.

When they had reached the hospital, Jensen had to hold Gabriella back once more from following the nurses or trying to lift her brother all on her own. He could hear them all, yelling orders from one to another in Spanish giving him no chance to translate anything. They moved quickly, rushing in behind everyone as Cougar was taken to surgery. It would be four hours or so, the doctor had told her, more than enough time for her to go home, though she didn't think she could.

That was a bit Clay had understood, Aisha too, the amount of time it would take. Slowly, they filed into the waiting room, all of them having removed their weapons and any gear that might lead someone to want to call the police. Jensen had had to do it for Gabriella, the woman unable to do much of anything as she cradled Cougar. But now they sat in the waiting room, a few of them covered in the man's blood, staring blankly off into nothingness. All, that was, save one. Jensen.

The Hacker couldn't take his eyes off of Gabriella as she stared at the floor, her face emotionless, her cheeks glistening in the light of the hospital wing, her body still shaking slightly with the residual and reoccurring fear of what might come. He noticed her hands clamped together tightly in front of her as she rested her elbows on her knees. He was certain her knuckles would be white if there wasn't so much of Cougar's blood on them. The sudden thought forced him to look at his own hands, his shirt graced with the red, drying liquid. Jensen suddenly felt his stomach turn, as though the tacos he had earlier were begging to come up, an expression that apparently littered his face.

"Jensen, go home and clean up." Clay told him calmly.

The Hacker looked up at the man that had spoken, his eyes peering out above his glasses before he looked back down and shook his head.

"Nah man." He said in a quiet voice. "I'm gonna stay here. I don't want to leave her by herself."

Clay nodded his head. He wanted to stay, as did the others, but they had to get back to the hotel and change if anything before coming back. There was no work to be done for now, the Losers unable to read what was most likely on Jensen's hard drive anyway without the Hacker and they weren't about to go anywhere with Cougar in the hospital.

"Come on." Clay said as he stood, motioning to the other three. "We can get changed and any of you that still want to come back are more than welcomed to."

They nodded before following Clay out the door. Pooch stopped in mid-step, sighing to himself before he turned to face the waiting room once more.

"Hey J,"

Jensen looked up.

"You want me to bring you some clothes or something? Some food?" he asked sadly.

"Yeah man," Jensen sighed, about to run his hands through his hair in frustration only hesitate and look at them once more. "If it's cool with you yeah. Some clothes would be good. Hey, you think you can…"

Pooch smiled halfheartedly.

"Yeah, I'll grab some for her too."

"Thanks man." He sighed, leaning back completely in his seat.

Pooch held up his hand to say farewell before walking through the doors and back to the car. Jensen sighed again, throwing his head back with his arms above his head as he stretched, realizing how bad of an idea it was when his head bounced off of the wooden frame of the chair he was in. He groaned but didn't do much to move aside from rolling his head to the left to look at Gabriella. She still hadn't moved. She was still staring off into the same bit of nothingness, her hands still clamped together. He wasn't even sure she had blinked.

Slowly, he rose from his seat and made his way closer to her. She had been sitting on what he could only classify as a loveseat. It definitely wasn't big enough to be called a sofa, but then again, maybe not even a loveseat. More like someone had pushed two chairs together, cut off the arms in the middle and bolted the legs together. Either way, he made his way there and sat next to her. The young woman hadn't even registered that someone had sat next to her, still swimming within her own self-loathing.

Gently, Jensen placed his hand on her shoulder, causing the young woman to jump as she was brought violently out of her own little horrible world. The man couldn't help himself as he jumped too, not expecting the move but had calmed down when her tears soaked face looked at him. His mouth parted slightly at the vibrancy her eyes had become. As bad as it sounded, she was beautiful when she cried, her eyes the shade of emeralds. But as he steadied himself, becoming used to the intensity of her gaze, she moved.

The man hadn't prepared himself for this but was a bit glad he hadn't. Immediately, Gabriella wrapped her arms around his chest and held onto him, holding him tightly to her as she buried her face into his shirt and cried even more. Jensen was frozen for a while, unsure of what to do until his hands came down and gently held her to him. She didn't need him to talk, to say everything would be alright even if she couldn't understand him. All she needed was to have someone hold her as she cried into his chest, waiting until there was nothing left and Jensen was more than happy to do it.

He could feel her tears soak through his shirt, the heat from them nearly burning his skin as she cried, her arms still holding tighter to him than he thought she was capable of. She was still shaking, but ever so slightly, the sensation having calmed a bit as his hand came up and held the back of her head tenderly to him. There was no nervousness now, no fear of saying something stupid or trying to be suave. There was only him holding a friend, crying for the man they both knew.

**I know this one's pretty sad and possibly unlikely cause who can picture Cougar getting hurt? But still... I hope you like it. Let me know what you think. Thanks again!**


	8. Chapter 8

By the time Pooch had come back, Cougar had been in surgery for a little more than two hours and Gabriella had stopped shaking, her tears having long since dried up despite the stains left on her cheeks. The man smiled a warming smile to his friend on the couch, the one that was holding the young woman. Jensen only grinned slightly, the worry still apparent on both of their faces for Cougar's unknown fate.

"Here man." Pooch said, handing him a bag filled with two set of clothing. "Sorry it took so long but we had to dump that car. It was just too…"

"I know." Jensen sighed, putting the bag down by his feet before holding Gabriella once more.

"So, what'd the doc say?" he asked, plopping down in the chair next to Jensen.

"Something along the lines of stable… I think."

Pooch rolled his eyes as he stood and made his way to the front counter. He may not know much Spanish, but it was more than Jensen. Then again, the hacker didn't have to know much, always hanging around Cougar and having him as a translator.

Jensen watched from his seat as Pooch spoke slowly, doing his best to make a real sentence as he spoke to the woman at the front desk. The old lady smiled, patiently waiting until he was done before nodding and calling a nurse on the phone. She held up her finger, telling him it would only take a minute before he had an answer. Soon enough, she hung up the phone and spoke very slowly back to Pooch. The man smiled and thanked her before walking back to the waiting room

His face was solemn but there was a bit more hope in his eyes than before, enough so that Jensen felt his heart begin to beat rapidly. The man came and plopped down on the chair next to him and sighed a relieved breath.

"Whoo." Pooch sighed loudly. "He's out."

"Seriously?" Jensen asked, the enthusiasm in his voice more than enough to alert the young woman under his arms.

"Yeah. Bullet went straight through? I think that's what she said. But yeah, she said he's in his room or something. Or will be soon."

Jensen was slightly frustrated with Pooch's lack of the foreign language but knew he wouldn't have been able to get even that much from the woman behind the counter. But still, there was hope in his eyes and the relief in his voice made the young woman stand and walk to the desk. The young woman spoke quickly and easily to the woman behind the desk, each more than able to understand the other before Gabriella's head dropped and Jensen and Pooch heard her crying softly.

"Oh shit." Pooch gasped, wondering if he had heard the woman wrong before Gabriella turned, a light smile touching her lips. "Oh thank god." He sighed heavily, he and Jensen falling back into their seats as though they were exhausted.

She came back and took her seat, new tears falling but the smile still there as she waited. The men watched her, waiting for an explanation before they realized one wasn't going to come and resolved to sitting and waiting for whatever it was that had her so excited.

They had only waited for about twenty minutes or so before a nurse came in with a clipboard. The man looked down at the name and announced it loudly to the room, though other than the three there was only about four more people.

"Alvarez?" he called loudly to the room, his eyes scanning over the people.

"Si." Gabriella said proudly as she stood, the most movement she had shown since their arrival.

The nurse and the young woman spoke for a few minutes before he turned to leave. Gabriella glanced to the others and waved her hands for them to follow. The two men shot up, Jensen almost forgetting the clothes before following the nurse and Gabriella through the hallways. After a few twists and turns, he stopped at a door and motioned for them to enter before leaving.

Gabriella made an attempt to walk in but suddenly stopped as though her body had hit a force field in the threshold of the doorway. She took a step back, trying to steal her nerves before Jensen walked up beside her and laced his fingers in her own. She glanced down at the hand before up into the smiling face of the man beside her.

"Come on. It's gonna be fine." He said calmly before walking into the room, still holding her hand.

She had still hesitated, like before, but with Jensen holding lightly to her hand, she found it much easier to enter the room. Pooch followed. The beeping of the heart monitor seemed to dictate how her heart would beat, slowing it until it thumped in rhythm with the machine. The curtain around his bed was pulled shut, for the most part, blocking him from her eyes. She felt the tears begin to return to her eyes as her free hand gripped Jensen's bicep firmly. Jensen turned to Pooch and mouthed _"ow"_ at the surprise of her grip before walking around to the other side of the curtain.

Pooch leaned against the back wall, more than capable of seeing the injured Cougar while Gabriella held Jensen captive and made him walk closer with her. The man was sleeping soundly in the bed, probably still on the medicine they had given him or just too tired to do anything else. His left shoulder was heavily bandaged and in a sling across his lower chest, the gauze still managing to wrap around his chest to the point he had almost no bare flesh. It was an accomplishment, considering the man was topless, but the nurses and doctors had wrapped him up with so much white tape and gauze that the only thing really visible was his right arm and shoulder and part of his stomach.

The blanket they had him under didn't seem big enough, only able to make it just above his belly button while his feet seemed hardly covered. Jensen couldn't help but think they had it on sideways instead of right. A shudder went through his body. If they couldn't make a bed, how good of a job could they do on Cougar. He immediately shook the thought from his head as he continued to stare at the man. His head turned to the side as he examined him, not sure why he didn't look right. There were tubes in his nose to help him breathe, IV's in his arm, but there was something that just didn't look right. Then it hit him.

"Oh my god they took his hat." Jensen said with slight awe and glee.

Pooch glanced over and sure enough, Cougar wasn't wearing the cowboy hat he always had with him. A smile touched the man's face as he spotted it to the side of the room on a dresser with the rest of his clothing that didn't have to be thrown away.

"He's going to be pissed." Pooch laughed before pushing himself off the wall. "I'm gonna go tell Clay and Aisha he's cool."

"Alright man." Jensen replied, shaking his friend's hand before Pooch laid a hand on Gabriella's shoulder, a quiet understanding passing between them as she smiled.

"You want me to come and get you after a while?" he asked, knowing he should sleep but not having much ability to.

"No. We can take a cab back."

"You got any money?"

"Uh…"

Jensen's mouth hung open for a while before Pooch chuckled and handed him a pair of keys.

"I'll take the cab, you take the car."

"What does it…"

"It's an old ass red truck. I parked it near a tree in the parking lot. You'll see it."

"Alright man. Thanks."

"Later."

With that the man left the two in the hospital room, Jensen's eyes still on Gabriella as she tried to think of what to do. Slowly, her grip loosened on Jensen and she took a few steps forward. By the time she had reached the bed, he had let go of her completely. He watched as her brow creased while her hand came up and lightly touched her brother's forehead. He twitched, sensing the touch, but did little else to show he was aware.

It was so weird, to Jensen, to see someone like Cougar seem so 'fragile'. Sure all of them had been shot at some time or another, or injured in one way shape or form, but they never needed a hospital. It had never been so bad that one of them, generally Cougar, hadn't been able to patch the wound. But not now. Now it was Cougar, the one that seemed almost untouchable, lying in the bed, hooked up to the surrounding machines.

"Lo siento." She finally whispered as she leaned forward and lightly kissed Cougar's forehead.

When she pulled back she was finally able to see the amount of blood on her skin and it made her sick. Jensen saw the sour expression her face had turned before placing his hand on her shoulder. He turned her around and showed her the bag before pointing to the bathroom in the corner of Cougar's room. She nodded, taking the bag and disappearing.

Jensen sat, staring in slight awe of the man in the bed as he heard running water in the bathroom. She was most likely scrubbing the hell out of her hands, trying to get every last drop of blood from her skin. It was something he planned on doing as well. Around ten minutes had passed, Jensen doing nothing but timing the beeps of the heart monitor to the rise and fall of Cougar's chest as he breathed. But he was brought out of it when the bathroom door had opened and Gabriella emerged.

She was wearing another skirt, something Pooch most likely found laying around so he wouldn't have to dig in anything, the same almost white as the one he had first seen her in and a pair of white flip flops. But it wasn't the shoes or the skirt that had his attention. It was the shirt she was wearing. It was a familiar pink with the words _Go Petunias_ written across it. His mouth fell open when she tied the shirt to the side, making it fit her better and not seem to swallow her frame. When she had twisted and tied the fabric, the young woman had noticed his expression.

"Este es el suyo?" she asked calmly pointing to him. (_This is yours?)_

"Dude that's mine." He blurted out before she handed him the bag. Gabriella rolling her eyes.

Thinking she had snaked his shirt in purpose, Jensen searched through the bag and found there was another one of his shirts within, but no other top for the young woman. Pooch had thrown his 'Petunias' shirt in the bag specifically for Gabriella. Jensen sighed as he stood, knowing there was only two reasons why the man would do it. 1. Because he always told Jensen it was a girl's shirt. Or 2. He didn't want to go looking through Gabriella's stuff.

Both could have been the answer but Jensen had a feeling it was the first. But it didn't matter. He had to admit, he liked the way she looked in it. A smile touched his lips before he went in and changed on his own.


	9. Chapter 9

**I just wanted to say thank you to those of you who have commented and reviewed. it is so appreciated and i am so sorry i haven't updated in such a long time. I could wine about holidays and yadda yadda yadda but I think posting is better. lol. Let me know what you think and Thank You!**

Jensen must have been in the bathroom longer than he had thought because by the time he had come out, Cougar was awake. Gabriella had pulled the chair Jensen had been sitting in while she was changing up to the edge of the bed and had her hand laced with her brother's. She was crying again, something he expected to see, and apologizing profusely. He didn't know why, but the young woman seemed to think this was all her fault. Jensen cleared his throat as he came closer, forcing the man in the bed to see him. He laughed, the cowboy hat already placed back on Cougar's head.

Cougar smiled and lightly grazed the brim of his hat, his standard greeting or thanks for something. Jensen laughed nervously, shaking his head as he leaned against the far wall.

"You scared the shit out of us man. You know that right?"

Cougar chuckled, wincing slightly in pain as he laid his head back down in the pillow. Gabriella was still muttering things to him, again Jensen was sure they were apologies as Cougar brought up the back of his hand and touched her cheek, muttering something kind to her under his breath. Jensen didn't even have to speak Spanish to know there was no way he would have been able to hear what they were whispering to each other. But he was fine standing in the background, not leaving her there, but not really being in the conversation either.

"Jensen." Cougar coughed, bringing the man out of his own little, song filled world and back to reality.

"Huh?"

"Take her home." He said, his voice sounding a bit weaker than usual.

"I don't think she's gonna like that too much." He said in a worried tone as he noticed the young woman's eyes move from Cougar to him as he took a few steps closer.

"Don't care." He answered.

Gabriella's eyes narrowed on Jensen and he felt a bolt of fear hit him. Jesus, she had the same glare as Cougar and no less frightening either. She stared at him for a moment before turning to Cougar.

"No." she stated frankly.

Cougar sighed before he took his little sister's hand in his own once more.

"Tu necesitas dormir. Vaya a casa. Estaré aquí mañana." He said with a smile.

She rolled her eyes as a nurse came walking into the room. She was young and rather attractive, her eyes staying on those of the charming Spaniard as he tipped his hat to her. She blushed, giggling as she checked his vitals while Jensen stood gob smacked in the background.

"So uh, you gonna be okay all by yourself Coug?" Jensen asked with a sly grin, his eyes moving back to the man in the bed.

Cougar only smiled his typical smirk. Gabriella rolled her eyes and sighed, smacking him in the arm and causing him to wince before quickly retracting and saying her apologies once more. It had taken a lot more convincing before Cougar had managed to get Gabriella to leave with Jensen. She growled internally at being spoken to like a child but after yawning for a while, she knew she had to sleep. Cougar held her hand and pulled her down lightly as he kissed her cheek, Gabriella hugging him as much as she dared before Jensen said his farewell and the two left.

Pooch had been right, the truck was easy to find. And if Jensen hadn't known the man who left it behind, he would have wondered if the damn thing was drivable. But it was. Throwing the tainted clothes in the bed, the two got in and made their way home, just as the sun began to peek over the trees in the East. He smiled at the beauty of the island before looking over and seeing worry litter the young woman's face once more. His hand moved on its own and within a second, his fingers were laced with hers as he held her hand.

The two rode in silence, Gabriella having scooted closer to Jensen on the drive to lean her head on his shoulder while their hands stay entwined. He smiled proudly to himself as they turned into the parking lot of the hotel. They made their way out, Jensen out his side of the truck and Gabriella following. She didn't want to let go of his hand and he was more than happy with letting her hang on. Slamming the door, Jensen grabbed the bag of clothes and the two walked up into the room he and Cougar shared.

He didn't feel like checking on the others, knowing they were most likely asleep and Pooch had told them about Cougar's status. They could wait to tell them he was awake and most likely having a bit of fun with the nurses. Jensen smiled at the remark as they made their way into the room.

Gabriella immediately kicked off her shoes and sat on the old couch they had leaning against the far wall, opposite the bedroom doors. Jensen stared at her as she ran her fingers through her hair and pulled out the tie that had been keeping it in a bun, letting the long waves fall down her back as she stared at the floor. She had brought her legs up, her knees near her chest and her elbow propped on the back of the couch supporting her head as she concentrated on nothing. Jensen watched her for a moment before making his way to the small mini fridge they had and grabbed a bottle of water.

He made his way to her, handed her the bottle and sat down on the couch beside her. Gabriella didn't speak as she set the bottle on the floor and swung her legs over Jensen's lap. He felt himself freeze as she scooted closer to him, the hem of her skirt coming up just a bit as she moved and showing more of her legs than he had thought he'd see before she stopped. Her legs were draped over his lap, lying down as her head came to rest on his shoulder.

Jensen didn't know what to do with his hands. One was draped around her back and he was fine with that until he realized it was settling on her hip. He felt his heart begin to thud a bit harder than before as her right hand rested on his chest. But there was still the issue of his left hand. It hovered over her, unsure of what to do and what would get him in the least amount of trouble. Slowly, it lowered, resting itself finally on her thigh just above her knee. It wasn't indecent or even a vulgar way of touching her, but he had never really held a woman like this before. He wasn't a virgin, by no means but the women he had been with weren't the cuddling kind.

So there he sat, his hand resting gently on the bare skin above her knee while the other lay on the small of her back just about to her hip, her legs draped over him and her head resting in the nape of his neck. He felt himself wait for the inevitable to come, someone walking in on them and either ruining the quiet moment they were sharing or come to whoop his ass for touching her. But nothing happened. He sat there, enjoying the simplicity of the situation as her fingers tensed against his chest.

A moment later he heard her begin to silently cry again. He didn't understand why she seemed so sad. Cougar was going to be fine. The doc had fixed him up and now all he had to do was rest. So why was she crying? Jensen's hand came up from her hip and began to lightly run down the length of her hair. He had done this for his sister before, every time she cried when some ass hole dumped her. For some reason women found it comforting and who was he to argue.

She wasn't shaking, she wasn't sobbing, she was only silently weeping. The only thing he could figure was that she was finally so tired and relieved about everything that had happened today that she was finally able to let it all out. She didn't have to worry about Cougar or whether or not he was going to make it. She didn't have to worry about anything only when he was coming home. So he held her softly as she wept before he felt her move.

Slowly, Gabriella moved back her body still close to his as she looked him in the eyes. Her eyes were the same emerald shade they had been before when she had cried. Tears clung to her eyelashes as she stared at him. He felt the heat begin to fill his cheeks as his hand came up and cupped her cheek, lightly wiping away the thin lines the previous tears had left in their wake.

His mouth parted as he tried to swallow the lump in his throat as their eyes remained connected. Suddenly Jensen was very aware of how close she was to him, and what exactly she was touching. Her hand had tensed slightly, holding his shirt firmly in the center of his chest. Her face was close enough to his he could feel the heat from her skin, the heat from her body making his hair stand on end. His hand inadvertently tensed on her hip, squeezing her just a bit more firmly than before, his other hand still resting gently on her cheek as they continued to stare.

He saw her eyes move slowly across his face, examining him the same way he had done her. He couldn't help it, it just happened. He groaned internally at the embarrassment he knew he was feeling, his cheeks turning redder as his pants grew tight when her hand touched his cheek lightly. He wanted to do something, to move her at least a little so she wouldn't feel it. All he had been able to do was put his hand back on her leg. Jensen had frozen, the moment her eyes peered back into his.

He felt her move her body closer and the aching began to grow, whether he wanted it to or not. She leaned into him, her eyes closing gently, forcing his to do the same. He could feel the heat of her lips almost touching his own and as badly as he had wanted it, thought about it, or yes, even dreamt about it, he had to speak up.

"I don't think we should…" he managed to choke out, his voice already husky and deep, and his words holding absolutely no authority.

"Béseme querido." She whispered softly as Jensen leaned his head back slightly, not truly trying to get away from her kiss.

He felt her breath on his lips and couldn't help the shudder it produced, his hands tensing on her when he had.

"I don't know what you…" he muttered, his brain beginning to slowly shut down.

"Kiss me." She answered.

"Ooookay."

There it was, his brain had shut itself down completely as her lips touched his. He felt her passion and relief pour into him as he kissed her, the young woman holding as tightly to his body as he was to her, though he doubted for the same reason. He couldn't help it. Part of his mind simply thought that she would disappear if he let her go.

His hand came up, holding her head to his as he kissed her, one hand entwining in her hair as the other glided gently up her thigh, her skin making his prickle at the sensation. He dug his fingers into her flesh from high upon her thigh to her knee making her move into him, moan slightly into his mouth.

Before he was able to comprehend what she had done, Gabriella shifted into his lap, her legs coming to rest on either side of his hips as their lips remained connected. His grip tightened once more when it shifted to her backside, holding firmly as she moved into him. He felt the friction she was creating and couldn't help but groan deep within his chest at the feeling. He knew in his mind that there wasn't much as far as cloth went between him and the object of his current desire.

His grip shifted to the knot on the shirt she was wearing, his shirt. There was nothing to untie, the fabric only being held together with a crafty twist here and there before being tucked under. With quick fingers he had it done, the fabric finally loose as his hands dragged down her back, forcing her to gasp at the pressure, her lips leaving his for the first time since this had begun.

With their kiss broken he had the chance to look her in the eyes once more. They were the same brilliant shade as she smiled sweetly to him. His hand came up and lightly moved a piece of her hair behind her ear, keeping it out of his way as he leaned in and kissed her neck. He felt her giggle slightly, knowing it was most likely the feeling of his goatee. He was fine with that, a smile touching his own lips at the sound. He kissed her again and this time she moved her head to the side, giving him all the more access to her throat. With one final peck to her heated skin he pulled away and smiled at the flushed hue in her cheeks.

He leaned forward, kissing her lovingly before pulling back and looking into her eyes once more, her lips almost touching his as he spoke.

"I've wanted to do that since I saw you walk on that stage." He whispered, his voice filled with so much desire it almost sounded foreign to him.

"Why didn't do?" she asked sweetly.

"Well, I didn't have the…"

Jensen suddenly froze mid-sentence and stared at her, pulling her back as his brow creased in confusion. His brain was trying to kick back, to reboot after the rather impressive make out session he had just had, his attention going to another point in the room as he tried to concentrate. Was he getting better at Spanish? No, that wasn't it, maybe a few words but not whole sentences. Then she had to…

"Oh god." He muttered, his eyes training back onto those of her smiling ones.

"Surprise?" she asked.


	10. Chapter 10

**So, wow. It has been an almost ungodly amount of time since I've updated but i hope you guys enjoy this. I'm sorry for the long amount of time, but yeah... I hope you enjoy!**

Chapter 10.

He had to admit that her voice sounded beautiful, her accent playing on just the right letters to make you get goose-bumps, but she spoke English. The woman in his lap spoke English. Oh god she was in his lap. Jensen was suddenly very aware of what was going on, what he had said to her, and who was straddling him.

"Is something wrong Jacob?" she asked in a sweet voice, her face genuinely concerned.

Jensen shuddered. Even the way she said his name was perfect. She said the 'j' almost like someone who spoke French. He knew Spanish didn't pronounce their 'j', making them sound more like an 'h' than anything so it was like she was making up for it. He was totally fine with that. But there it was again. Her speaking English.

"Why didn't you… how long… how come…" he was beginning to sputter his words out so quickly that despite knowing what he was saying, Gabriella was having trouble picking up on his broken sentences.

"So I suppose that means our fun is over." She sighed as she stood.

Jensen would have missed her contact much sooner if his brain wasn't still trying to wrap around her speaking English.

"But Cougar said… And then everyone told me you… but you did… and all that stuff I said to you…" he groaned, vivid memories of him blurting out how 'hot' he thought she was surged through his mind, his head coming to rest in his hands. He sat there for a moment; head buried in his hands before he shot up and stared at her. "You lied to me."

The young woman's eyes widened slightly at the sudden coherent declaration.

"Pardon?"

"You lied to me." He repeated, standing and making his way closer to her as he eyed her skeptically.

"I did not." She countered.

"Yeah you did. You never told me you spoke English."

"You never asked."

Jensen went to open his mouth to retort but had nothing. He hadn't asked. In all reality he hadn't asked her once whether or not she spoke English.

"But why'd you let me make the translator if you spoke English?"

"I never told you to make it. And when you came into my room you were so proud…" she smiled before looking around as though he made her nervous. The thought made him laugh slightly. Like he would be able to make someone like her nervous. "No one has ever done something so… cómo es dijo… dulce… sweet," she finally said having found the word. "No one ever did anything that sweet for me before."

Jensen laughed his proudly nervous laugh, one he used on many occasions when someone thought he did something brilliant. His hands came to his hips as he smiled his satisfaction before something else crossed his mind.

"Does Cougar know?" he asked pointing to her.

The young woman looked away, biting her bottom lip gently as she forced a half hearted smile before shaking her head.

"Oh," Jensen declared as though he heard a 'White House grade' secret. His mouth hanging open in an 'o' shape before he began to laugh. "He's gonna kill you."

Gabriella only mocked him and stuck out her tongue in response before she sighed once more.

"He only has to get out of the hospital first."

He saw the concern in her eyes once more as she fell onto the couch again, her eyes training off into nothingness as she began to chew on her lip.

"Why are you so worried about him?" he asked, immediately feeling stupid for the look she gave him. "Not… I didn't mean it like that. I mean, I know he's your brother but it's not like it's the first time he's gotten hurt."

She breathed deeply as he sat next to her on the couch again, this time more than arms reach away. Honestly, Jensen wasn't sure he could survive another go with her if the brakes were put on halfway through again.

"I was supposed to watch him. To keep him from being hurt." She answered. "He almost died because of me."

That was the reason. That was why she kept crying no matter the fact he was fine. That was why she had been apologizing to him so profusely. She thought it was all her fault. She thought everything that had happened that Cougar had been seen and shot was her fault. Jensen sighed before placing his hand on hers.

"Cougar's a big boy. He's fine. Don't worry about it. Okay?"

She nodded but he knew she was lying. She would worry regardless, the same as he would for anyone in his family.

"Come on. It's time for bed anyway. It's almost eight in the morning."

Jensen stood with a heave, pulling the young woman to her feet before sending her to Cougar's room. She hesitated at the door before watching Jensen step into his room. Slowly she turned and walked quietly to his doorway and peeked inside, honestly hoping she would be able to share his bed or at least switch. She wasn't too excited about sleeping in her brother's bed when he was in the hospital, feeling the way she did about it. Besides, it wasn't as though he had closed the door, or even bothered cracking it. He had just left it wide open.

She watched as he kicked his shoes off, his back for the most part to her as his fingers went about undoing the buckle to his belt. He was glancing around the room, but for what she didn't know as he unbuttoned his pants but left them on. His back was still to her as he gripped the portion of his shirt that rested between his shoulder blades. Taking his glasses into his other hands, Jensen pulled off the shirt with no effort before placing them back on.

Gabriella felt her stomach fill with butterflies, at the definition of the man's back. Every muscle was on display, moving as he moved. Before she could drink in the sight completely, Jensen turned. Gabriella's eyes shot wide, her mouth hanging a bit slack as she stared at the man. He still hadn't noticed her, too busy looking for whatever it was he had been searching for earlier, but now she saw him.

His chest was large and defined, his arms just as wonderful and his stomach tight and strong. She felt her knees go weak at the sight of him. This man may be what most people would consider a geek, but this geek had the body of a God. She had thought he was cute before, a kind hearted man that made her laugh with his innocence but now… She had no idea how to classify him now.

As she stood there staring, her eyes finding more and more to adore about the man before her, she heard something. A throat clearing. Her eyes shot up to those of a smiling Jensen. His hands were resting on his hips, his head cocked to the side with a smug grin on his face as he stared at her. Red filled her face immediately at being caught. Gabriella had been admiring Jensen for so long, she hadn't noticed being spotted.

She attempted to speak, say something that might defer the situation but the only thing she had managed was a high pitched squeak. Her mouth still hung open before she suddenly got enough sense to pull back. She hadn't gone anywhere yet, Jensen more than capable of seeing the pink of his shirt just outside his door. She was standing with her back against the wall, trying to steady her mind at the sudden shock of being caught.

"Did you need something?" he asked, still smiling happily

The young woman buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"Madre de dios… Mierda, mierda, mierda…" he heard her muttering as she went into her room.

Jensen stood in his room, wondering if he had just seen and heard what he thought he had. If he hadn't been certain, Gabriella was just looking at him like he was a piece of meat. This was going to be too good. Jensen had always had women mess with him, tease him like this, but he hadn't been the one to do it. He looked around the room quickly and found the perfect thing. A wide smile crossed his face as he grabbed it and dashed for the door, sure to slow down as he peeked around the corner. She was sitting on Cougar's bed, her face still in her hands as she mumbled something to herself. Mischievous thoughts crossed his mind and he knew exactly what kind of mean tricks to play.

Looking in, Jensen hid the object behind his back and knocked lightly on the door frame. The young woman jumped slightly before seeing him leaning there, not bothering to cover himself in the least. In fact, he hadn't even buttoned up his pants.

"What?" she asked, not much in the mood after the sheer amount of embarrassment she endured.

"I was just wondering if you were okay." He smiled. "You ran out of my room so fast I didn't have time to give you this." He said, tossing the towel onto the bed beside her.

"What is this for?" she asked, picking it up in her hands lightly.

"Well, you still got a little drool… right there." He laughed, mimicking a spot on his chin.

The young woman's mouth hung open as she reached for the closest thing and threw it. Jensen ducked as a boot went flying pass him and through the door, still laughing like a kid.

"I'm just sayin." He teased. "You know a good piece of man when ya see it." She looked at him in absolute horror as he flexed his biceps, still laughing.

"Get out!" she yelled, standing and shoving him just far enough to close her door.

Jensen was still laughing, enjoying the red tone in her cheeks as he heard her put her back to the door, and brace it to keep him out most likely. He smiled leaning his side against the door jamb as he lightly knocked on the door.

"Go away!" she called, her voice muffled slightly through the door.

"Awe come on. I was only teasing." He smiled.

"You were being mean."

He sighed heavily before scratching at the door, whining like a dog that wanted to come inside. Jensen smiled, hearing her giggle slightly before opening the door.

"I was only messing with you." He replied with a slight grin.

"I know." She sighed, smiling a bit herself before she looked down and realized she was still wearing his shirt. "Here, this belongs to you."

Jensen watched as she pulled the shirt up and over her head, handing it to him as though she wasn't suddenly standing in front of him in nothing more than a white lace bra and a skirt. His mouth suddenly hung open, his eyes unable to divert from the obvious. She smiled slyly as she threw the shirt over his shoulder. Her hand came up under his chin and forced him to look her in the eyes.

"Now, we are even." She smiled before seeing something in the corner of his mouth. She laughed and wiped the substance with her finger and showed it to him. Jensen snapped his mouth shut when he saw a slight bit of drool on her index finger. "Yes. Definitely even."

With that she leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

"Goodnight querido." She whispered before closing the door behind her.

Jensen stood there for a moment, wondering when his body was going to begin to move before he suddenly snapped to.

"Evil woman." He groaned, feeling the tension in his pants grow once more as he went to his room. "Evil, evil woman."

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~


	11. Chapter 11

**Okay, so yet again, long time since updating. I'm trying to do too many things at once. But here's this and it's kind of sexual, in the awkward and weird way lol. I hope you guys like it. A friend of mine thought something like this would jsut be funny and pretty plausible I guess you could say.**

He did his best to fall asleep that day but the light coming through tattered curtains hanging on his windows, the worry of Cougar and the god awful tension Gabriella had put him through was making it increasingly difficult. He had tried to fall asleep for the past few hours, managing random bits here and there but it was coming up on one in the afternoon and he had finally decided it was a lost cause. He growled his frustration as he threw the blanket off his body and stood. He was grumbling things under his breath as the decision to take a warm shower came into his mind. If anything it might help him relax and maybe take care of some other frustrations.

He stopped at his doorway and peeked out. He was only wearing boxers and despite loving the way she stared at him, he didn't feel like being full on display when he saw that look in her eyes. At least with denim he was able to conceal his 'problem' beneath the thick fabric, for the most part. But with cotton that had a wide open front, there was no hope. But when he peeked around the door jamb he saw hers was closed. Breathing a small sigh of relief at his small victory, Jensen quickly shuffled off to the bathroom as fast as he could to take a shower.

The hot water always took way too long to start flowing through the pipes in this place but when it had he felt so much better. He stuck his head under the spout and let it wash over him, groaning to himself when he suddenly remembered his glasses were still on. Sighing heavily, Jensen pulled them from his face and turned, blindly feeling for the sink that he knew was somewhere nearby. Feeling the edge of the porcelain, he let them slide gently into the sink. He wanted to turn and put his face back under the spout but the one slightly clogged opening in the shower head was funneling an especially hard stream of water right into his shoulder and it felt wonderful.

He stood there for a moment, letting the hot water wash away most of the tension he felt but not all of it. Turning, he buried his face in the water's stream and planted his palms on the broken tile in front of him. He stood there for a while, letting the water wash over him as he thought about everything. He thought about the information he had gathered and how he was going to have to go through it. He thought about Cougar in the hospital. He thought about how bad Gabriella felt about her brother being hurt and he thought about the look on her face when she had seen him topless.

A smile crept its way across his lips as his eyes closed, remembering everything about those ten seconds he had her. He saw the hungry look in her eyes when she saw him, the green orbs taking in everything. He saw her mouth go lax and when he had caught her, the most beautiful shade of pink touched her cheeks. The smile on his face widened when he remembered her sitting in his lap, her lips on him. For those few moments, everything was perfect.

The young woman rose, her head throbbing from her lack of sleep and her back sore from the god awful bed she had to sleep on. She was still tired, her eyes unable to focus on much of anything as she stood. She was planning on taking a shower, dressing and going to the hospital. She had slept, sort of, like Cougar had told her so now he couldn't get rid of her. She yawned, stretching slightly as she made her way into the common room and towards the bathroom. She hadn't noticed anything, nor did she really feel like paying too much attention. She was too tired.

The bathroom door was cracked when she put her hand on it. The door only opened a few inches further when she suddenly realized there was water running. Snapping too instantly, Gabriella froze, not wanting to walk in on the man she knew was within. She bit her lip before taking a large step back from the door, praying she hadn't been discovered yet again.

But as she stood there, staring at the cracked bathroom door, white chipping paint and all, the steam from within billowing out, she felt herself become curious. She couldn't help it. It was just something people did, become curious. Slowly Gabriella stepped forward, still biting her bottom lip as she weighed the pros and cons of what she was considering doing. Pros, she would get to see a bit more of Jensen. Cons. There was the embarrassment of being caught again, not just for her but him as well. There was the possibility of never living it down, and there was the slim fact she might see something she shouldn't.

Still, curiosity took the better of her. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but no one ever tells you if it was worth it before the thing died. Thinking of what she was about to do one more, Gabriella took a deep breath and inched towards the door. Her hand had almost touched the chipped surface of the wood when she heard something that made her stop dead in her tracks.

"Gabriella…"

It was Jensen's voice. That much was painfully obvious. Did he hear her? No, that couldn't have been it. She hadn't made any noise. Did he need her for something? No. He didn't sound like he was calling her. But the cold feeling still held her firmly, her mind swimming with why he would have randomly said her name. She began to chew on her lip as she thought about whether or not to continued, worried that this wasn't the best idea she had ever had. But as she stood there pondering, he said her name again, this time in a lower, gruffer voice.

Embarrassment and shame be damned. There was no turning back. She had to find out why the hell he was saying her name when it wasn't loud enough to be calling her for anything. It barely sounded like he had said it in his normal voice. She took another deep breath before pushing the door open just a bit further, enough for her to look around the edge when she was ready. The problem was, becoming ready to do it.

This was ridiculous. She had done plenty in her life, both adventurous and dangerous. There was no reason why she couldn't do this now. And there was the issue of him saying her name that was beginning to annoy the hell out of her. Finally convincing herself, Gabriella took the small step to the side she needed to be able to look within the bathroom. When she had, she felt as though her bottom jaw would hit the floor.

He stood behind the dirty, opaquely colored white plastic shower curtain, his face down with one hand planted firmly against the tiled wall and the other hand… not. She felt her throat go dry at the sight before her. There was the initial surprise of seeing him, naked, and relatively clearly given what the shower curtain was. Sure it was a dirty curtain and an off white, but a portion of it was pulled back, letting the man's face be more than clear and his frame was so large in the first place, she could make out a decent amount of his body's shape.

The water was hitting his head hard, his blonde spikes gone as his hair moved with the torrent of water, his eyes closed and mouth parted as the clear liquid cascaded down his face. She could see enough detail to see the muscles in his arms were tensed and he was busy with what he was doing. She knew what was happening just below her line of sight, her eyes still trained on his face, but she wasn't sure she had the guts to really look down and verify it.

But there it was again. That voice whispering in her head, saying everything she wished it wouldn't. It taunted her, telling her she was being childish for not looking, for not venturing a peek. It told her sure she already had an idea of what was happening but she wouldn't know for sure until she looked. Damn curiosity. No wonder the cat died. It didn't know when to stop when it was ahead. Finally, after arguing with her internal, problem causing voice, she glanced down.

The initial shock of what she had seen wasn't as severe, knowing that was what he was doing but it was when she couldn't take her eyes away that she realized the real reason as to why it held her attention. The hacker was just full of surprises. She had seen how big his hands were, she had felt them and held them. And this… this just made them look no bigger than hers.

Gabriella felt her head turn to the side as she examined him, not so much embarrassed by what she was witnessing but now just in awe of the man before her. Every time she turned around, there was something new and even more impressive than the last. She knew her mouth was hanging open as her eyes narrowed, still unable to comprehend the girth and size of him when something brought her violently from her delirium.

"Jesus… Gabby…"

The words were barely audible but she knew it was her name on his lips. Her eyes immediately shot to his face. His eyes still closed, tighter than before as though he were in deep thought. It was then everything was sent into brilliant clarity. Her throat went dry at the sudden realization that she wasn't imagining her name coming from him. He was… and thinking of her?

The young woman shot back from the door suddenly, not stopping until her back hit the wall on the opposite end. She wasn't completely sure how to process what she had just seen. She knew people masturbated, having done it a few times on her own after a rather horrible experience with a man had scarred her for a while so that wasn't the odd part of the whole situation. The strange part was that it was her on his mind when he did it. She didn't know how to take that bit of information.

She stood there, her back still against the wall as she tried to rationalize what she had seen and heard, knowing she shouldn't have looked in the first place. But as she stood there, she heard the man within the shower sigh heavily. No more than two minutes later the water was turned off.

She tried to make herself move, to go back into her room and pretend she was still sleeping at least for the next few minutes but she couldn't. No matter how she willed it, her mind screaming to do so, she couldn't move. A moment later, Jensen opened the door, a towel wrapped around his lower half as he placed his glasses back on his face. His thumb was looped in the tie of the towel, his eyes down before making his way through the door. The moment he glanced up and saw her standing there, he froze.

Their eyes met, both of them unable to move, not sure what to do. Jensen eyes her for a moment before deciphering the look on her face. It was somewhere between shock and embarrassment. His eyes suddenly went wide, his mouth hanging open for a moment. He felt his cheeks turn red.

"How long have you been up?" he managed to choke out.

"Just woke up." She answered quickly.

"Oh so you… you didn't… You need to take a shower?" he asked, hoping she was telling the truth, desperately praying for it in fact, though part of him felt she wasn't.

"Yes. I was going to see Carlos." She answered as she walked forward, doing her best to seem as though nothing had happened.

"Yeah okay just… hot water…" he was rambling, something he did when he was nervous. "There might not be that much ya know… cause uh, I kind of take hot showers and… so yeah."

The young woman nodded as she walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind her. He stood there for a moment, wondering how much truth was in her words before thinking better of it. He didn't feel like having his head blow up before he ate something.

~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~!~


	12. Chapter 12

**This is going to give a little bit of my version of their background. Hope you liek.**

She had emerged some time later from the bathroom. Before she exited the room though, Gabriella felt the need to check her surroundings. Jensen wasn't in the common area. He could've have been in the room, or maybe even down the hall talking to the others. Either way, she was in the clear.

She should have checked whether or not there were towels but she hadn't. There was apparently only one clean one, the one Jensen had taken. She glanced around, double checking before disappearing back into the bathroom and grabbing her clothing. She didn't want to put them on again, having always had a 'thing' with putting on the clothes she wore before a shower but now she was reconsidering. Still, she couldn't make herself do it so with one final glance; she ran to her brother's room and closed the door.

Jensen stood in the doorway to the hotel room holding two coffees and some pastries he had bought from the little shop across the street. His head was cocked to the side, a quizzical look on his face as he wondered if he had seen what he thought he had just seen. If he hadn't known better, he just saw a streak of nakedness that resembled Gabriella run from the bathroom to Cougar's room.

A smile began to form on his lips as he smirked, his eyes still not focusing on anything as he thought about what he had just witnessed, being sure to commit it to memory. He stood there for a while, doing his best to rewind it and play the memory back in slow-mo.

He found himself chuckling slightly as he did just that, reliving the memory, unaware that the door to Cougar's room had already opened once more. Standing in the doorway was a confused Gabriella. She had walked out seeing Jensen smiling, his head cocked to the side with two coffees in one hand and a pink box in the other, laughing to himself. The kid was stranger than she thought before something crossed her mind.

"Did you like the show?" she asked, trying not to sound as horrified as she felt.

Jensen immediately snapped to, his face blushing at the young woman as he tried to open his mouth to speak, the best he could muster was half hearted syllables. She had only guessed at what he had seen before, now knowing for a fact from his reaction. She blushed placing her head in her hand as she shook her head.

"Hey it wasn't all bad." He smirked.

The young woman looked up and saw the playful gleam in his eyes at seeing her in 'all of her glory' not a few minutes before hand. An evil smirk crossed her lips as she walked forward and grabbed the food and drinks from his hands.

"Then you can be the one to tell Carlos." She told him before sitting on the couch.

The smile on Jensen's face immediately fell.

"Awe come on!"

She only laughed to herself as she took a sip of coffee, the hacker plopping down on the couch next to her and taking the other cup.

"Are the others awake?" she finally asked as she opened the box and pulled out some rather tasty looking sweet bread.

"Yeah," he answered, trying to forget about her threatening to tell her brother he had seen her naked, if even for a millisecond. "Went over there before I got food. Clay's gonna go by there with Pooch. You want to just wait and go with all of us?"

"I take it _Aisha_ is not going to come."

He couldn't fight the chuckle from coming at the sound of pure hatred when she had spoken Aisha's name.

"No." he said, finishing his small laugh. "She's going to stay behind for now. You don't like her though, do you?"

"Do you?" she asked quickly.

Jensen shrugged. In all honesty, he was more or less indifferent to the woman being around. Sure she was a pain in the ass and he was wondering when Clay was going to 'not wake up' but she still managed to come through in a pinch.

"I don't really care." He answered before taking a bite of his pastry and speaking with a full mouth. "In all honesty, she kind of scares me. I mean," he swallowed his food. "She's already proven she doesn't have a problem shooting any of us."

Gabriella's head shot to him.

"She shot you?"

Jensen nodded, pulling up the sleeve on his left arm showing her the horizontal scar. She touched it lightly before glaring back up at him.

"Por que?"

He lowered his sleeve and shrugged once more.

"I don't really know." He answered truthfully.

"And she is still breathing?" she nearly growled.

Jensen's eyes went to the young woman next to him and it was then he saw the same flash of anger in her eyes he had seen in Cougar's whenever he wanted some form of revenge. In all honesty he hadn't seen the 'look' too often but it was one of those things you don't forget easily.

"It is so creepy how much you guys look alike." He muttered.

As he watched the murderous glint in her eyes fade, something suddenly shot through his mind. ADHD be damned sometimes. Before he could stop himself, the words flowed freely.

"So what's the deal with the cowboy hat?" he suddenly blurted.

Gabriella stared at him in slight shock for a moment before laughing a bit.

"Are you always this…?" she paused, her mind sifting through her internal English dictionary for the right word.

"Random. The word you wants random." He answered with a crocked smile. "And yes. So cowboy hat. What's the deal?"

The young woman laughed slightly, her eyes going to the floor before it faded. He watched her, wondering if it was a good question to ask before she sighed.

"Our father gave it to him." She muttered as though the memory was almost too painful to talk about.

Jensen nodded his head. It made sense, why he never wanted to take it off, why anyone who touched it would die a painful death, and why he never answered any questions about it. He didn't want to ask more, grateful that for once his brain spoke up before his mouth could do anymore damage.

There was a knock at the door, one that forced both of them to look up and see Pooch stick his head in. He smiled, his sunglasses already covering his face.

"Come on kids. You're gonna miss the bus."

The two rose and made their way downstairs and into the waiting vehicle, a van this time that didn't look to far off from a bus with its old yellow paint and rust.

Gabriella and Jensen had been forced to sit next to one another in the vehicle, each seeming as uncomfortable as the other. The van wasn't very wide and whenever someone's hand or arm would touch the other, they would draw it back quickly as though they were five year old children. Pooch caught notice of their actions halfway to the hospital. He smiled wide to himself before nudging Clay, the one sitting next to him in the front.

Clay had been staring out the window, thinking about their situation before he felt his elbow move. He turned to see a smiling Pooch tilt his head to the back seat. Clay narrowed his eyes for a moment before Pooch adjusted the rearview mirror. Almost immediately Clay saw the meaning behind the action and couldn't help but chuckle to himself, drawing the attention of the two in the backseat to the foreign sound of the man's laughter. When they saw his deep brown eyes on them they knew and couldn't keep the blush from their cheeks.

Ignoring it for now and planning future ridicule for Jensen in their minds, Clay and Pooch remained silent until the familiar outline of the hospital came into view on the horizon. Pulling into a spot, the small group felt relieved there wasn't as much urgency in their arrival as there had been before. But that didn't mean they didn't find themselves walking a step or two faster than normal to see their fallen comrade. Their worry was short lived however, when they rounded the corner into the man's room and found a young nurse, a different one from before, leaning over the man and kissing him goodbye.

Clay cleared his throat. The young woman immediately shot up from her patient, red taking her olive toned cheeks at the sight of the four in the doorway. She scurried out muttering her embarrassed apologies under her breath, averting her eyes from all of them as she went. The eyes of the four remained on her until she was gone, immediately shifting to the man in the bad. Cougar smiled triumphantly, adjusting himself on the bed and fixing his hat before waving them in. They filed in, Jensen amazed that the Spaniard was almost dead and still hooked up with a hot nurse, Pooch and clay only chuckling under their breath and Gabriella giving him a silent reprimand.

"So Cougs, how you feeling?" Pooch asked rhetorically.

The man only laughed to himself before wincing in pain. He groaned, touching the bandaged wound lightly.

"They say when you're supposed to be out yet?" Clay asked.

Cougar sighed and shook his head.

"Not yet boss." he muttered disappointed.

Jensen sat there, his head shooting from Gabriella to Cougar and back again. His mind was swimming. Questions surged through his brain, his mouth begging to say something, to get the answers to the questions but he knew it would be bad. Very, very bad. But as slick as he thought he was being, he was wrong. It took no time for the others to notice the subtle movements.

"You alright there Jay?" Pooch asked with a cocked brow.

"Hm?" Jensen responded, his eyes wide, his thumb still in his mouth. Force of habit, chewing on his thumb. He wasn't lucky enough for it to be his nail, instead it was the closest thing to sucking his thumb as he could do. He simply gnawed instead of sucking. "No," he answered too quickly. "No I'm, yeah no I'm fine. Why?"

The others looked at him skeptically. His eyes traveled over their doubting faces until arriving to Gabriella. She wasn't lost like the others seemed to be. Instead, she was staring at him, her eyes narrowed. Jensen felt his back tense.

"Stop judging me." he suddenly blurted, much to the shock of everyone around him.

"What?" Clay asked with a slight laugh.

"Gabby," he finally said, his eyes staring at her through the circular glasses that were hanging low on his nose. "She's… silently judging me. You think you're so much better than me?"

"He's finally lost it." Pooch laughed.

Jensen was babbling incoherent and completely unprovoked sentences. Gabriella was doing nothing, only looking at him and he had suddenly begun defending himself from an unheard accusation. For some reason, something as trivial as knowing that Gabriella spoke English was enough to make him crazy. That coupled with making out with her and seeing her streak across the living room common area of the hotel was becoming more than the man could handle. He was never good at lying to any of the men he had served with for so long, mostly because they knew his tells, but Cougar was even worse. He swore the man could _smell_ when he had a secret.

Daringly, Jensen turned to see Cougar staring at him. The look in his deep brown eyes had shifted from jovial and carefree to skeptical and questioning. Jensen felt a cold sweat begin to form on his forehead. For some reason, he felt like he knew some kind of White House grade secret. No, that wasn't good enough. He knew plenty of those and they were nothing compared to this. He had hacked into the White House computers more than a dozen times, so why was something this trivial causing him to twitch?

"I swear I didn't know she could speak English!" he exclaimed, suddenly snapping his mouth shut after the words left his lips. "And we only made out for like a second, and…"

He managed to snap his mouth shut but the damage was done. Cougar and Gabriella held the same surprised expression though when Jensen dared to look the young woman in the eyes, he saw a hint of rage.

"Oh shit." he sighed, dropping his head.

Pooch and Clay were more than happy sitting back and watching the show while Jensen fell on his face again.

"Jensen," Cougar finally said in that light whisper volume voice he had, thick with accent and doubt in his compatriots words. "Wha' did you say?"

"Nothing." he suddenly snapped, making sure to keep his mouth shut right after he answered a question instead of ramble on like he tended to do.

"_Jensen_." Cougar reprimanded.

The tone made Jensen flash back to his parents scolding him. It was worse then yelling, like the whole 'I'm not angry, I'm just disappointed' speech they'd give you. It was scary how little Cougar actually had to say to get someone like Jensen to spill everything.

"Well I didn't know man. Here I am thinking she doesn't understand anything I'm saying and then I make that thing so we can talk, and then we were making out, and then she started speaking English and then…"

"Jacob." Gabriella snapped angrily, shutting up the massive amount of information he was setting loose on the room.

He lost all color.

"So yeah, I think we're going to take Jay to get some coffee and let you two talk." Pooch smiled, he and Clay ushering the young hacker out of the hospital room before either of the homicidal Spaniards could get their hands on him.

The room was silent, nothing making the slightest noise save the heart monitor that the doctors refused to remove from Cougar's chest. The sniper's keen eyes never left his young sister, they stared unblinking at her as she refused to look up. She could feel his glare and knew he was angry. But there was no avoiding the wrath of a sibling. Taking a deep breath, she dared a glance up and was surprised to see him staring intently at the ugly blanket that covered his lower half.

"Carlos," she muttered quietly, breaking the silence. "Say something."

"How long?" he finally replied.

"I learned a couple of years ago." she sighed.

She knew he wasn't angry, at least not now he wasn't, it was just disappointment. To most it would seem stupid, to be hurt or disappointed that your sibling had learned another language, but when you had almost nothing in common anymore it just felt like one more thing that pushed them away. She could see it in his face.

"Say something." she repeated.

"You kissed Jensen."

Gabriella groaned. Cougar looked up into her face for the first time since the others had left the room to see her face in her hands. She sighed, shaking her head slightly.

"Anything but that."

"So yes."

"It doesn't matter." she answered, meeting his gaze. "It is none of your business."

"Es Jensen." he snapped.

"So? You have no say over who I kiss or have sex with anymore Carlos."

His eyes went wide at the other word.

"You haven't…" he growled.

She could see anger returning to his features.

"No. But it wouldn't matter if I did." she defended. "You can't tell me what to do anymore."

"Tu mi hermana." he growled.

"Dejas me!" she spat angrily.

The room fell deathly silent once again, the eerie beat of the heart monitor blaring loudly before slowing with Cougar's heart beat as he calmed himself.


	13. Chapter 13

The silence stretched for longer than either of them had expected, the Alvarez siblings at a loss for what to say next. Each one had things brimming to break free from their lips, questions, accusations, scolding but they were both too stubborn to let their lips move. So silent they sat for nearly ten minutes before Gabriella spoke.

"I bought a head stone." she finally said quietly. Cougar looked up to see her eyes staring back, her eyes glistening with tears that threatened to fall. "They never found a body so I put a headstone on an empty plot next to mama and papi."

Cougar never felt as guilty as he did right now. The worse thing he had ever done in his life was to let his only family, the last remaining blood he had on this planet think he was dead for so long. It would have been bad enough for her to think that for a day or two but not two and a half years.

"Lo siento." he whispered, not wanting to look into her face as he spoke. He didn't know what else to say to her. How can you apologize enough for something like that? It's simple. You can't.

She said nothing and stood. A shot of fear surged through the man, fearing she would actually leave only to have her sit on the bed next to him and lay her head gently on his shoulder. He hugged his sister to his side, feeling her begin to cry softly.

"Supusieres cuidado de mí después de que muriera madre." (_You were supposed to care for me when mom died.) _she muttered softly into his chest. "Why did you leave?"

"No podría arriesgar." _(I couldn't risk it.) _he whispered back.

"I am your sister." she snapped, moving back and hitting him in the chest.

Cougar fought back a groan of pain at the sharp contact. He glared at her, knowing she was clearheaded enough to realize what she had done. He could tell she just didn't care. She blinked the tears away.

"I do not care what you were doing. Sending me a letter instead of burnt name tags," she snapped, showing the silver trinkets around her wrist. "Would have been better than nothing."

"I sent money."

"I didn't want money." she snapped. Cougar knew it was the wrong thing to say, but he had said it regardless. "I wanted my brother. I was only fifteen when you left me alone."

Cougar groaned internally, remembering that day more than clearly in his mind. She was crying and begging for him to stay but he couldn't. He had, at the time, thought it was the best thing to do for her, to provide for her, but he hadn't thought about the long term effects of him being gone for so long.

"Father told you to care for me, so did mama when she died." she finally said in a soft, defeated tone. "And you didn't."

Cougar felt her stand and move towards the window, to stare at whatever it was that wasn't in the room. He stared at the back of her head, his mind spinning with what his father had instructed him to do. He remembered it as though it had happened yesterday.

Antonio, his father, was a large, tall and imposing man but had the warmest heart of anyone Cougar had met then or since. He towered over them as children, always wearing his cowboy hat as he went to work in the fields to care for his family, his appearance resembling that of Cougar, warm and kind but truly frightening when someone threatened the ones he loved.

It was years ago at this point, around the time Cougar was fourteen, when his father had passed. It had been an accident that had taken Antonio from his wife and children, a truck that had careened out of control. The wreck was bad but they had managed to stabilize him enough for him to say goodbye to his family. Gabriella was almost too young to remember too much of what was going on, being only ten at the time, but he remembered vividly.

His mother sobbed at his father's bedside, Gabriella standing next to the woman as she held her mother's shoulders. Cougar had walked to his dad's bedside, opposite his mother. The man smiled to his son, never looking stronger and so fragile at the same time then he did right then. Cougar fought back tears as his father explained he was the one that had to take care of the family now, that he was the man of the house and had to watch out for his mother and sister. He had reached to the bed side table and grabbed for the hat he had since Cougar was a toddler and placed it on the young man's head. It was too big at the time, but Cougar knew then and there that there would be little to no chance he would remove it.

Later that night his father died in his sleep.

His mother, Abigail, had sunk into a depression whether she meant to or not after losing her only love. It was heartbreaking that she rarely seemed to leave her room, or even her house for that matter anymore. The two children were the ones in charge of the home at that point. Within two years Abigail was gone leaving her two children alone.

Cougar was barely sixteen by the time the weight of having to care for not only himself but his little sister fell onto his lap. But he had made a promise, to both his mother and his father, that he would do anything within his power to make sure Gabriella was safe and taken care of. And he did for the first few years.

Cougar worked harder in those years than most people would their entire lives while going to school and making sure she did the same. It was hard, but at one point he had a genius idea. He's enlist in the American military. It seemed like a good idea, a good steady paycheck and a sure fire way to make sure Gabriella had everything she needed.

It was hard, at first, leaving her behind, but he was resolved to the fact that it was the best thing for him to do. Leaving her with the family of a man he worked with and actually trusted, Cougar left his little sister behind. For the first few years, everything was fine. He would write and make sure she knew he was alright and that she was doing whatever need be done but he had to admit, after a while, the letters got further and further apart. It soon went from writing her once a week, to once a month, to once and a while all too quickly. By the time he had "died", Cougar was down to holidays and birthdays. It wasn't on purpose, just something that happened with the kind of work he did.

With the distance between them having grown to an uncomfortable measurement, Cougar honestly didn't know how to come back and tell her he was alright. He didn't have the slightest clue how to tell her he had lived, what had happened in Bolivia, or even if he should. He could lie and say it had to do with Max, Cougar scared how far the man would go to get to him and the others, but he didn't. Then again, maybe he was just being selfish, thinking it better she assume he was dead.

Cougar sighed heavily at how stupid he felt, for what he had done. He prided himself on his loyalty to his friends and his family, but here he was ignoring the only blood he had left. He shouldn't have been surprised why she had snapped at him as easily as she did and why she was so surprised to see him. Honestly he felt she should be more enraged than she was.

"Gabriella."

She turned, her eyes still rimmed in red to see Cougar holding his arm to her, motioning to her to come closer. She did, slowly making her way to the man's side and sitting on the bed once more. Cougar hugged her as best he could to his side with the use of only one arm, but she curled into his side as easily as she had when she would wake up crying in the middle of the night when they were kids. It was as thought nothing had changed. Cougar was suddenly sixteen years old again, holding his twelve year old little sister because she woke up crying from a dream about their parents.

Gabriella curled into her brother's side, feeling like a lost little girl again, but still overwhelmingly happy that he was alright. But the feeling was short lived. Her mind began to swell with other pressing matters. She knew, whether he would admit it or not, that once he was healed, he was gone again. She didn't know when she would see the man again, or if he would even make it back to her like he had always said he would. All she knew, was that once Cougar was healed and ready, that all of them, him, Clay, Pooch, the woman, and Jensen were gone. Jensen.

A smile crept across her face that shielded her worry about what Cougar would do to the young man. The Sniper flinched when she tensed her hand over his wounded chest and fought back a groan. While they were here, whether or not Jensen would admit it, she could protect him. Once they were gone, he had no chance of survival. But she also had to admit, she wanted a piece of him too for being so stupid. Slowly sitting up, Gabriella moved her legs onto the bed and crossed them, sitting comfortably next to her brother.

"Carlos," she began in a soft voice. "Are you leaving again?"

The man looked apprehensively at his young sister.

"Is that a yes?"

He nodded. Gabriella felt the air flee her lungs slightly at his declaration but pressed pass it.

"Tell me what happened in Bolivia."

Cougar furrowed his brow before taking a deep breath. She had the right to know.


	14. Chapter 14

Jensen sat at the table in what he was supposed to believe was the cafeteria of the hospital with Pooch and Clay. He had been bouncing his knee for god knew how long, his hands tensing and relaxing repeatedly on the crappy Styrofoam cup he held, the brown gunk inside supposed to be coffee. Clay and Pooch sat back, thoroughly relaxed in their seats, smiling at the despondent man. Jensen had been staring at the same spot on the ugly white table for the past twenty or so minutes, not speaking, only twitching while they shared silent laughter. But Pooch couldn't help himself.

"Hey J." he chimed causing the hacker to jump and look almost frantically around like Cougar was going to pop out of a shadow or something.

"Yeah." he muttered, realizing Pooch had spoken.

"What do you want on your tomb stone man?" he laughed.

Jensen looked at the teasing and chuckling faces of the two men he considered family and scowled.

"Oh ha, ha, ha. Dude, Cougar's gonna kill me. I'm dead when he gets out."

"I know." he laughed, finally releasing the torrent of giggles he had held within.

Jensen's face had long since lost color but now he just didn't care. The man groaned, his head falling onto the table top, hard, making the other two men cringe slightly. Clay couldn't help himself as he reached out and let his massive paw of a hand fall onto the hacker's shoulder. He patted him as reassuringly as he could. Jensen looked hopefully into the man's aged face, praying he would lay some of his 'old wise man' logic on him and make everything better.

"Hey Jensen, maybe it won't be so bad." he smiled, Jensen doing the same as his nerves began to settle slightly. "I'm sure he'll just do it in your sleep so you won't feel a thing."

The warm fuzzy feeling was gone. The smile Jensen had worn was gone. Pooch was in a whole new fit of laughter as Jensen let his head fall back onto the table top.

"I am so dead…" he groaned.

"Jacob."

The new voice made the man shoot up abruptly, a napkin stuck to his forehead. He hadn't realized it, but Jensen had slammed his head down on the napkin that was wrapped around his coffee cup and it was now stuck to his forehead. He snatched at it frantically, missing it a couple of times before managing to get hold of it and tossing it to the side. He should have left it in place. Pooch was fighting back more laughs while Clay only smiled and shook his head. Gabriella stood behind the other two men, facing the young hacker.

Jensen managed a weak smile but she didn't budge. Gabriella was staring down at him, her arms crossed in front of herself as she eyed the man with a look he had seen all too many times before when working with the eldest Alvarez sibling.

"Carlos wants to talk with you." she said in a calm, eerily calm, voice.

"Why?" he asked in a higher voice than he meant to.

She shrugged.

"Perhaps it has something to do with your confession earlier?" she asked rhetorically with a cocked brow.

"Shit…" he sighed, standing despite his body wanting to collapse again. He turned to the others. "He wouldn't… we're in a hospital… with witnesses."

"Well," Pooch smiled. "We are in a hospital so…"

Jensen felt cold sweep through him at the thought of Cougar attacking him with no witnesses while they were in a hospital. It would be too easy and he wouldn't have to go far for medical attention. The thoughts running through his head weren't making him feel any better as he languidly walked down the halls and toward the man's room.

By the time he had reached the sniper's room door, he had lost any 'wanting' feeling that may have been lingering in his bones to see him and froze. He stood, just out of sight from whomever was inside, and tried to do his best to steady himself. He was trying to solidify his argument, that she was an adult and so was he and that Cougar couldn't tell him what to do but he didn't believe any of it. Cougar had saved his ass on so many occasions that yeah, he had a right to tell Jensen what he could do with it. Hell, by now Cougar had almost 'bought' Jensen's life with how many times he had saved him. And what does he do with it? Starts making out with and … other things… about the man's little sister. Jensen, groaned to himself.

"Jensen. Come in."

The voice from within the room made his back tense. Whether he wanted to or not, he moved into the room and saw the man sitting up in his bed, his eyes cold and distant like Gabriella's had been just seconds before. Jesus, the similarities were frightening.

"Heeeey, man." Jensen managed to say though it lacked any authority or confidence. "So you look good."

Cougar said nothing and simply watched Jensen with calculating eyes.

"So uh, how ya feeling?"

Again, nothing. Jensen was beginning to loose whatever resolve he actually had.

"Dude seriously, say something." he demanded, surprising himself by his brass.

"Be. Careful."

The words were said so simply and quietly that Jensen wondered if the man had said anything at all. His eyes narrowed as he titled his head to the side.

"That it?" he asked shocked. "No, _don't hurt her_ or _I'm going to murder you while you sleep_ or anything?"

Cougar said nothing only smiled as Clay, Pooch and Gabriella came into the room. Jensen turned to see them, the stern look marring the young woman's face making his blood run cold. He turned skeptically back to Cougar who only smiled and lightly traced the brim of his hat. He slowly met their eyes again.

"Hey guys, Gabby." he said in an uncomfortable tone.

"You and I will speak later." she answered in the same tone of voice that Cougar used.

Jensen felt his shoulders fall. He had managed to piss off not one, but two scary Spaniards. Just one member of this blood line would have been bad enough but no, Jensen had to go for both. What could he say? He was an over achiever. So at the moment, the best he could do was nod.

0o0

Eventually the group had made their way back to the hotel without so much as a word between Gabriella and Jensen. He felt like a child again and didn't like it. Clay filled in Aisha and suggested she go visit Cougar though he knew she wouldn't. The two of them never really got along after she shot Jensen, and that coupled with her rocky relationship with Gabriella only made things weirder. But he sent her regards, hoping things would get better. At the moment, she and Clay were talking in the corner of the room while Pooch went to pass out again. Gabriella wanted to do the same, finally feeling as though her body was going to give out completely. Jensen on the other hand only sat back, watching her carefully and waiting for her to go off at him at some point. But she never did. Instead, she said her goodnights to the others and only glanced sideways to Jensen before walking through the door and down the hall to her room.

He remained for a while, not really sure what else to do as he thought about everything that had happened in the last couple of days and what might happen in the week or so to come. Nearly twenty minutes had passed before the young man groaned and heaved himself up from his seat, almost dreading going into the room he shared with the young woman but not having much choice. Honestly, at this point he was wanting her to snap at him or bite his head off just to get it over with. It was the waiting that was beginning to drive him nuts.

"You heading out Jay?" Clay asked, a smile playing at his lips.

"Yup." he sighed, waving his farewell and closing the door behind him.

The trek down the hall made the man realize how tired he really was. It was almost six o'clock at night and minus a few random minutes, maybe an hour or so of actual sleep, he had been awake for almost thirty-six hours. He yawned, his body sore as he opened his door. But when he had, he realized something. Gabriella.

Apparently the young woman hadn't made it all the way to Cougar's room or she had been waiting for Jensen to come back and managed to pass out on the couch. Her head was propped up on a crappy pillow, her knees curled into her chest as well as they could be for the narrow couch and she was fast asleep. He felt himself smile as he moved closer to her, ready to wake her up and put her in her room.

"Hey, Gabby…" he muttered softly, kneeling by her side as he spoke. She didn't move. Jensen's hand came out and lightly touched the side of her face. "Gabriella."

Her brow creased but yet again, she didn't really move. He knew, like him, that half of them were so tired from their ordeal that if any of them fell asleep, they wouldn't wake up again for a long time. Her body had finally given out and she was dead to the world. Smiling, Jensen positioned himself next to her, sliding his arms beneath her body. Taking a breath, mostly so he wouldn't make a noise, not from her size, he heaved her up into his arms. He felt himself smile as she immediately curled into his chest, her arms gripping around his neck and holding him close. A chuckle left his lips as he moved towards the room.

He kicked the door open the rest of the way and moved to the side of the bed, ready to let her roll easily out of his arms but something was wrong. She didn't let go. He smiled again before trying once more to have her release his neck but she wouldn't. Jensen felt himself sigh and despite the smile remaining, he had to get her off his neck so he could sleep too. Lightly taking her arms into his hands, Jensen unwound her grip without much difficulty before laying her fully on the bed.

"Night Gabby." he whispered quietly before turning to leave.

Jensen had only made it to the foot of the bed before he stopped again.

"Jacob."

Jensen turned, seeing the young woman lifting her head lazily. He smiled, turning to face her.

"Yeah?"

She said nothing as she waved him closer. He did, walking to the edge of the bed and leaning forward, planting his palms on the bed and waiting for her to speak. Instead of saying anything, Gabriella lightly took his wrist into her hand and pulled him down onto the bed. Jensen couldn't keep the laugh from his lips, slightly surprised by the action but fell into it regardless. He was ready to ask what she was doing before she moved again, forcing him onto his back and taking her spot on his chest.

"Uh, Gabriella… what are you doing?" Jensen asked, worried when he suddenly realized she intended to keep him there.

"Shhh." she whispered in a soothing voice. "Just sleep."

But sleep was the furthest thing from his mind. Currently, Jensen was laying in Cougar's bed, with Cougar's sister after a frightening conversation in which he revealed everything to the man. He was anything but at ease. Was this a trick? Was she cornering him and trying to calm him with false comfort before pouncing into an attack? Was she trying to get him into more trouble?

Jensen's mind raced with the possibilities of something this simple. He had never, despite lying about it thoroughly, slept in a bed with an attractive woman before and as though that weren't far enough out of his comfort zone, yet again he was reminded of _who_ this young woman was. His body tensed instinctively, readying for an attack that may or may not come. Gabriella scowled and pinched the man's side.

"Ow! What the hell?"

"You're body is too hard." she sighed, but he didn't relax. Again she pinched him.

"Ow! Stop."

"Then relax and I will stop."

Jensen glared at the top of her head but tried his best to do as she asked, taking a few breaths before relaxing at least a little bit.

"Better?" he asked sarcastically.

He felt her nod against his chest and smiled whether he meant to or not.

"Hey Gabriella," he finally said. "I uh, I didn't mean to out you in front of Cougar."

She shrugged.

"I am not the one that needs to worry about him." she answered matter-of-factly. "I am his baby sister. You're the man who kissed his baby sister."

"That is so not helping." he groaned.

Gabriella laughed lightly as she took the man's left hand in her right and gripped it tightly before rolling onto her side. Jensen moved with her whether he wanted to or not, not really sure about what she was doing as she held his hand tight and curled it to her chest as she positioned herself on her side, more or less forcing him to spoon with her. He had to admit he liked it, he liked it a lot, but that was the problem. It felt extraordinarily comfortable but holding her back this close to him and the scent of her skin was making things… awkward. Jensen slowly began to scoot his lower half away from her, fearing she might notice the more pronounced appendage.

"Stop moving." she muttered in a dreamy voice, obviously on the verge of sleep.

"Yeah uh… I don't know how comfortable I am with this."

"Why?" she asked, absently nuzzling their combined hands.

"Uh…" he stammered, feeling the action make his skin prickle. "Cause of that right there. So yeah, um, I'm going to go."

Jensen had never made it out of a bed so fast before in his life. He stretched, trying to make himself feel more comfortable than he truly felt before swearing he heard her mutter something. The hacker froze for a moment before turning with a cocked brow to the young woman.

"Huh?"

"I called you an idiot." she answered with more authority, grabbing a pillow and hugging it tightly to her stomach as she tried to reposition herself on the bed.

"Why?" he asked insulted.

She turned her head and cocked a brow to the man as though it were obvious. But he still didn't get it. She sighed loudly, rolling her eyes as she sat up in the bed.

"I am throwing myself at you." she declared to the man.

Jensen's face went stoic. He only stared at her blankly.

"Bullshit." he managed to say, believing every syllable of the word.

The young woman only rolled her eyes and rolled over, obviously annoyed as she let her back face the man.

"Good night Jacob."

He stood there dumbfounded for a moment before willing his body to move and walk out of the room.


	15. Chapter 15

**Hehehehe. I like this chapter.**

As Jensen lay in his bed staring at the ceiling, he wondered what she meant. There was no way to misinterpret what she said, the words were blatant and simply in his face. But what the hell? Was she serious? Women had said that to him before but they were generally screwing around with him and they hadn't been half as pretty as Gabriella. So she was joking right? Yeah… joking. And then he thought about it.

She had kissed _him_. She would find a way to touch _him_. She would hug _him_. She was the one that had always initiated any kind of contact between the two of them, Jensen honestly not having the balls to do it. So why would she be joking about it now? She wouldn't. Jensen groaned to himself at how stupid he was being. He was an idiot. When the hell would he have another chance to have a woman as beautiful as Gabriella basically throwing herself at him? Never, that's when.

Jensen kicked his blanket off, almost jumping from the bed. He made his way to the door, pulling up his pajama pants as he walked through the doorway. His bare feet made no sound as he walked to her cracked door. Well, it wasn't really cracked so much as hadn't been closed enough to latch. He leaned forward, pressing his ear to the door to see if he could hear anything. When he couldn't, Jensen lightly pushed the door with his toe.

It swung open easily. He had been expecting her to be laying on the bed, passed out, but she wasn't. Gabriella sat on the bed, her back to him in pajamas he had seen her wear before. She had her hair slung over her shoulder finishing a rather impressive length braid. She was putting the finishing touches on it, wrapping the hair tie around it before realizing there was someone standing behind her. She turned, looking over her shoulder at the man standing in her doorway, tossing her braid annoyed over her shoulder. She was ready to glare at the man, not happy with him making her feel as embarrassed as he did until she realized he was standing there in nothing more than a pair of cotton pajama pants, his chest completely bare.

Her stern look immediately shifted, catching Jensen's attention. He looked down and suddenly felt more naked than he ever had, and that was saying something. This was a guy that had no problem hacking in his boxers but for some reason standing in front of Gabriella in a pair of pants and nothing else made him feel like he was streaking through the Superbowl. She seemed to notice that she was gawking and immediately shifted back to normal.

"Can I help you?" she asked simply.

Jensen stood there for a moment, watching her stand and turn back to the bed before sitting back down and staring at him.

"Yeah uh… I've got an itch." he said, praying she wouldn't recognize the obvious lie as he turned and did his best to point to a spot between his shoulders. "Somewhere right around here… somewhere."

She cocked her brow disbelievingly at the man before motioning him to come to her. He did, not really sure what else to do as he moved, sitting only a few inches in front of her. Jensen felt his skin prickle when she began to scratch the random spot he had pointed to on his back. He didn't have an itch, something he was sure she had figured out, but he was more than happy that she was still scratching his back. He felt himself tense his back, moving into what she was doing like a cat before Gabriella suddenly dug the heel of her palm into his shoulders. The hacker fought a groan at the feeling while she only smiled before repeating the action in the middle of his back.

He began to slump over, feeling her hit the spots in his back that were always the tensest from hacking. She dug the heel of her hand into his skin and watched as he moved, this way and that, and the sounds he made. It made her laugh. But she had to admit she was doing it for selfish reasons too. She liked having him around, a lot. She had a crush on him. She liked the goofy way he talked, how sweet he had been and nervous when she had arrived. She just liked him. A bonus was everything else but apparently as smart as he was to do what he did with computers, he was an idiot when it came to women so she had to take the upper hand. But then again, he wasn't smart enough to notice she was doing that either.

Gabriella sighed as she wondered how useless it was for her to even continue flirting with a guy that she may like, who was going to be leaving as soon as Cougar was healed. Then again, maybe she should just enjoy it. The thought brought her attention to the man slumped forward and moving easily with her movements. He was limp and more or less clay at this point. She laughed and stopped, lightly patting his back to let him know she was done.

Jensen had turned to putty in Gabriella's hands, feeling everything dissolve when she began to rub his back. He was swaying every time she dug her small hands into his skin and he loved it. But there was the other thing. He was still expecting there to be some kind of plot between her and Cougar to get him comfortable and calm before they attack even though the longer he sat there, the less he believed it. He liked her, he really did, but she made him paranoid. Then that other voice came through, the one telling him to shut the hell up and do whatever it was he wanted to do. Honestly, he loved that voice even though it ended up getting him into trouble in the long run. So what now? Count down the days until he and the other Losers would leave so he didn't have to worry about screwing up in front of her, OR, enjoy the time he had and pray that Clay thought he was too useful to let Cougar kill him?

Before he could come up with an internal answer, Jensen felt Gabriella lightly slap his back, signaling her completion. He stretched, feeling so much better and so much more tired than before as something crossed his mind. Jensen smiled to himself, his arms still up as he stretched before yawning obnoxiously. With a slight glance back to make sure she was still there, Jensen fell back onto her.

Gabriella was taken by surprise when the man simply fell back onto her. She fought back a grunt at the large frame falling effortlessly onto her, pressing her back into the bed. Jensen did nothing as he yawned again and began to mock snoring. Gabriella couldn't keep the giggle from her lips as she fought to push the man off of her body.

"Jacob, get off." she whined uselessly shoving at the man.

"Can't hear you. Sleeping." he answered before the mock snoring began again.

She growled, trying to do anything to get the torso off of her when she got her own idea. Most men, almost every man she had ever met in her life, was ticklish on his sides. She smiled as she brought her hands to his sides and began to lightly run her fingernails up the skin. Jensen immediately froze, his eyes shooting open as he tensed. Her smile widened. It was working. Quickly wrapping her legs around his waist to keep him there or close, Gabriella began to tickle the man mercilessly.

Jensen suddenly began to move, trying to escape the woman as she began to tickle him. Whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was ticklish and she seemed to have found the spot. He began to struggle, trying his best to get up and away from her. When he had finally managed to stand, Jensen was suddenly well aware of the young woman, or monkey rather, attached to his back and the tickling hadn't stopped.

"Oh come on." he pleaded, trying to pull the woman off of him.

She laughed, not willing to relent in her actions as he struggled fruitlessly against her.

At some point, Jensen had managed to get a hold of her upper arm and swung her around to face him but she didn't stop. Still moving like some kind of small nimble monkey, Gabriella kept up her assault on the man, laughing the whole time as he whined to have the nearly crippling action stopped. Willing to do almost anything, Jensen tried to toss her from him before losing his balance. Gabriella suddenly clung to him tightly as the two toppled forward, the man holding her tightly and both ready to hit the hard ground. But it never came.

At the last minute, Jensen tried to fall onto the bed but he should have expected it to be as badly made as it was. When they hit the mattress, bouncing lightly before settling, they breathed their collective sigh of relief. The relief was short lived however when the frame snapped, the two falling the extra foot onto the mattress that now lay on the ground. They froze, waiting for anything else to happen before meeting each other's eyes and laughing.

"That might have hurt." she laughed lightly.

"Yeah. I would've crushed you." he smiled before suddenly realizing how close the young woman was to his face.

They seemed to notice it at the same moment and stopped in their positions. Their eyes locked and the smiles had faded as they stared at one another. From this distance, Jensen was able to see the random greens in her eyes, and the gold flecks that seemed to catch the light. He felt a smile touch his lips before leaning forward.

Daringly, Jensen let his lips graze hers, his eyes still watching her to see if she would move. She didn't. So he moved again, letting them glide gently over her own, still trying to test the waters but apparently Gabriella wasn't having it. Instead, she tightened her legs, still wrapped around his waist, and pulled him closer. Jensen's lips crashed into hers and he couldn't care less.

Gabriella wrapped her arms around his neck, not wanting him to run off like last time, but Jensen knew he wasn't going anywhere. His hands came up, one holding her thigh closely to his body while the other lightly cradled her head to his. Gabriella felt Jensen instantly deepen the kiss and couldn't keep the slight moan from her throat.

Jensen's mind went blissfully blank. He didn't care about what might happen later on, all he cared about was having the most beautiful woman he had ever met in his arms.


	16. Chapter 16

Clay knocked on the door, Pooch and Aisha with him. No one answered.

"You kidding me? He's still sleeping?" Pooch asked annoyed.

Clay only sighed as he opened the door and walked in, the other two behind him. They looked around the disheveled room seeing nothing but Jensen's clothes tossed around along with empty food and drink containers. The older man rolled his eyes before making his way to the two doors. He eyed them for a second, not remembering which one was who's. He glanced to Pooch who only shrugged. Clay and Aisha's room had been ground zero for everyone, not Pooch, Cougar or Jensen's room so it wasn't really common knowledge where they slept.

The Wheel-Man moved forward, noticing the room's doors were slightly ajar, giving them enough to peek through and see who might be dwelling within. The room to the left was dirty, clothes and trash thrown everywhere and knew it was most likely Jensen's. But it was missing its tenant. With a furrowed brow, he turned to the two behind him and shrugged.

"They already leave?" he asked, walking forward before something caught his eyes.

"I don't know." Aisha sighed, kicking an empty beer bottle on the floor. "Maybe she made him drive her."

Clay had been examining their surroundings before looking up and seeing Pooch leaning on the blank wall surface between the two door jambs. His arms were crossed over his chest, a wide smile on his face. Colonel cocked his brow to the man who only moved his sunglasses to the top of his head and motioned to the door to his left, the room they hadn't looked in. Clay only looked confused at the man. Pooch laughed and lightly touched the door, opening it the rest of the way.

By the time the door had swung open into the room, the other two were let in on the joke that seemed to make Pooch smile to the point his face hurt. There, laying on the now broken bed, was Jensen and Gabriella. The initial shock of seeing Jensen laying in bed with a woman took longer to get over than they had thought before they suddenly realized who the young woman laying with him was.

There was no mistaking what they had done either. Jensen was laying on his back, his hair screwed up more than they thought possible and his glasses laying crooked on his face. The bed was broken, laying on the ground instead of in the frame that had been designed to hold it, the headboard leaned haphazardly against the wall behind it. Their clothes were thrown all over the room, and they knew the garments were Jensen's and Gabriella's for the sheer fact Cougar was surprisingly neat.

But then there was Gabriella. She was laying, asleep, on the bed next to Jensen, curled onto his side. One of his arms draped over her shoulder, his head resting on hers as she buried hers in the nape of his neck. Her hair was messed and pulled almost completely free from whatever it was that had been holding it back. The only thing that was keeping the two of them even remotely decent was the sheet that was draped lazily over their frames. Gabriella's chest was mostly concealed simply from her being pressed to Jensen's side while her leg was stretched over his lower half, the man's other hand holding it tightly, the sheet draped so lightly over her backside as it stretched across his lower half that the group knew if either of the two moved, the three of them would be getting a show.

Pooch couldn't keep the smile from his lips. He loved Jensen, they all did, and he was like the man's little brother, but he couldn't help but enjoy it when the hacker fell flat on his face. Clay simply stood there with his hands in his pockets, his face slightly expressionless. He couldn't decide if he was more proud of the young man for pulling something like this off, or fearful for the delegating he was going to have to do once Cougar found out. Aisha on the other hand was staring wide eyed at the man. Jensen was laying there, more naked than the young woman had ever seen, with someone she honestly didn't think Jensen had the slightest chance to land. She felt like her head was going to blow.

"What do you want to do Colonel?" Pooch asked with a slight laugh.

"Witness Protection comes to mind." he teased.

Pooch fought the urge to yell, knowing the young woman didn't need to be awoken like that, but he really, really wanted to scare the shit out of Jensen. Actually, he was going to regardless, but he was going to be clever about it. Smiling, the man dug into his pocket and reached for his cell phone, flipping it open and searching through the sounds he had for ring tones or whatever else until one made him almost giddy. It was a sound that used to be his text message notification until Jensen made him change it. Apparently, every time the thing went off despite only being random orders from Clay or a message from Jolene, Jensen always thought it was something attacking his hard drive. Evidently they were the same sound or at least close enough that Jensen would freak out and begin typing frantically on his keyboard until he realized nothing was wrong. It brought Pooch and the others countless hours of fun.

Highlighting the name, he selected it and waited for the fun to begin. Pooch held the phone up, the speakers facing the young man. A moment later, the sound blared loudly. As they had expected, Jensen shot up out of bed looking around the room frantically. What they hadn't expected was the sheet moving as much as it had when he heaved himself up.

"Whoa!" the three exclaimed in unison, shielding their eyes as he stood, still searching for the computer making the noise before seeing the three of them standing there and Pooch's phone in his hand.

Jensen glared at the man angrily, Clay having moved out of the room to the safety of the common area.

"Dude, what the hell?" Jensen snapped.

"What the hell yourself man." Pooch laughed, turning and exiting the room.

"Put some damn clothes on Jensen." Aisha hissed, joining the others.

Jensen slowly looked down and realized he was standing there in all his glory. His cheeks turned crimson as he looked over his shoulder to see Gabriella already putting her shirt on, not as worried as he seemed to be. The hacker quickly slammed the door shut and abruptly went about searching for his clothes. Throwing shirts, and god knew what else into the air, Jensen felt himself sigh his relief when he found his pajama pants hanging from the headboard of the bed. He smiled, remembering when they had done that but the smile was short lived when he remembered his friends were outside.

"I don't want to do this." he groaned under his breath.

Gabriella turned to him confused.

"Do what?" she asked.

Jensen turned to see her confusion and sighed, wondering how he could explain it without confusing her.

"I don't want to go out there and explain why I was in here with you."

"Why would you have to?"

"They caught us. They're out there laughing at me right now because they found me in here with you." he defended, realizing how bad it sounded way too late. At the expression on her face, Jensen slammed his eyes shut, wincing as he replayed the comment in his mind. Yup, he fucked up. "I didn't mean it like that."

But she wasn't listening. Gabriella swung back and landed a hard blow on the man's jaw. Jensen stumbled back, almost regaining his footing before managing to half-step on the fallen bed frame and falling completely. His ass hit the ground hard but she didn't even seem to notice as she buttoned up her jeans and slipped on a pair of flip flops. She cocked a brow to the man on the ground as she pulled her hair free from the remaining ties and opened the door. The people in the living room area had heard the hit and stood, waiting to see how bad the damage was knowing it was her since there was no way Jensen would lay his hand on a woman.

Gabriella smiled kindly to the ones that had walked in on her and Jensen, giving them an almost false sense of reassurance before they noticed the man on the ground trying to correct his glasses. He groaned as he stood, Gabriella making her way to the bathroom to brush her hair. He turned, rubbing his sore jaw and feeling a small trickle of blood coming from his lip. She had managed to bust his lip, but he couldn't help being grateful she had missed his glasses.

"Wow. You made it this long before she beat your ass. Impressive." Aisha mocked.

The man managed to give her the most hate filled stare he had ever summoned for anyone in his life. She had to admit, it made her pause suddenly. Hell, even Clay and Pooch had only seen that look once before and those were extenuating circumstances. It was kind of scary.

The taunting had stopped abruptly with that look as Jensen went to his room and gathered some clothes to change into. He kicked himself, managing to turn one of the best nights in his life, into a train wreck.

By the time he had exited the room, pulling on a flamboyantly yellow t-shirt, Gabriella was already waiting with the others. She said nothing only moved with Aisha to leave, a true sign something was wrong. They didn't like each other, even a little bit, and here they were willingly walking along side one another. Jensen groaned, looking up at the awful ceiling as he internally prayed that God smite him where he stand.

"Hey man," Pooch sighed, looping his arm around his long time friend's shoulders, more or less forcing the man to follow the others out of the small room. "At least Cougar will make it quick."

"What?" he asked suddenly, shooting a look to Pooch.

"Oh come on, after the stunt you just pulled? He'll be so pissed, he won't have time for torture."

Jensen glared at the man.

"You know, surprisingly, this isn't helping me." he almost growled.

Pooch managed a genuine, concerned smile.

"I know man." he sighed, the joking gone from his voice. "What'd you say to piss her off so bad?"

"Nothing worse than normal."

"That bad huh?"

There was a hint of joking but Pooch was being sincere. Jensen had the ability to screw things up royally with nothing more than a few wrongly placed words.

"Just… wait till the two of you get a sec, when Cougs isn't in the hospital, and try to apologize."

"You seriously telling me to wait until Cougar's out?" he asked with a cocked brow.

"Good point. Do it sooner."

Jensen managed to smile but it was weak as the two made their way into the van Pooch had gotten a hold of somewhere and made their way to the hospital. Jensen wasn't paying attention to how long it took them to get there, only staring at the back of Gabriella's head as they traveled.


	17. Chapter 17

Cougar was laying in his bed still, healing remarkably fast for having been in the hospital for only a couple of days. His attitude however, hadn't changed. At the moment they walked through the door into his room, Cougar was busy laying his charms on another young woman. He held her hand gently in his, speaking softly to her so no one could hear as she blushed and giggled. When the group had walked through the door, drawing their attention, he only smiled, kissing her hand tenderly and saying his farewells.

Gabriella rolled her eyes as she moved to sit next to her brother, the others decorating the walls while Jensen did his best to disappear into the background. Cougar noticed the action. He narrowed his eyes on the young Hacker, Jensen looking more awkward than normal as he tried to hide his busted and still bruising lip. He didn't really expect Cougar not to notice it, knowing the man literally saw everything, but there was always hope. That hope was dashed when Cougar's eyes came to rest on the young man.

Jensen said nothing as Cougar's keen eyes examined him closely, his eyes moving across the man's features skeptically. He moved down the line, seeing something on all their faces, each either averting his eyes or trying to act as though they didn't know anything. Finally, he came to rest on his surprisingly indifferent sister, his brow cocked curiously.

Cougar muttered something to the young woman. Jensen felt his back tense while cold swept through his body when Gabriella turned to him with a blank face before back to her brother. She shrugged and replied to whatever it was he had asked. The young Hacker knew his life was about to end, he _knew_ Cougar was about to leap from his bed, machines be damned, and choke him to death. But something else happened. Cougar laughed and not only chuckled quietly like he usually did. He full on, open mouth, laughed like a normal person would. Jensen felt the color drain from his face. The chuckles finally died down before anyone dared say anything. Honestly, the others were as surprised as Jensen was and weren't sure what to do for a moment until the laughter had dissipated.

"So Cougs," Pooch finally chimed. "When you getting the hell out of here?"

The man managed a weak shrug but the answer was getting old. Gabriella sighed and stood, going to have a talk with one of the doctor's to find out exactly what was going on since no one seemed to know. Jensen watched her and moved quickly out of the way when he was in danger of hitting her shoulder. The action wasn't lost on the Spaniard. He narrowed his eyes suspiciously on his friend but thought better to ignore it for now.

By the time she had returned, Gabriella was smiling, obviously happy with the news. She had filled them in, explaining that the wounds had been mostly superficial and that was helping him now. Nothing major had been severed, no arteries or anything important so because of that, he was able to leave the following day. The group breathed a sigh of relief at the prospect of the young man being back. If anything, Clay honestly thought it would help make sure Jensen stayed in line. He wasn't going to let the sniper harm the hacker, not really, but Jensen was beginning to run around like a chicken with his head cut off and it was putting him in more and more trouble the deeper he got.

The Losers had stayed behind for a while talking to the man and laughing, even Jensen loosened up a little bit. But after a while, they had left, Gabriella remaining behind, much to the relief and disappointment of Jensen.

He had remained silent in the van ride back to the hotel, something that made the others more uncomfortable than they would have liked. He was a jovial person, happy and had a severe problem with talking too much. But now… now he was eerily silent and it bothered all of them. The man only stared outside his window, silent and thinking.

By the time they had gotten back to the hotel and met in Clay and Aisha's room, Jensen hadn't said a word in more than twenty minutes and now it was just getting weirder. Honestly, they were beginning to feel like it was invasion of the body snatchers, the man _looking_ like Jensen but not Jensen. But the problem was, no one knew what to say to him, mostly because they didn't know what was wrong.

"Jensen." clay finally said, forcing the man to look up from the spot on the floor that had held his attention.

"Hm?"

"Work."

It was a simple command and easily followed. Jensen stood, walked to his set up of electronics and gripped the hard drive he had downloaded the information onto when the Losers had stormed Max's fortress. The group of three watched as the man plugged it in and began to click away at his computer. They waited for him to start narrating everything he was doing like he usually did, to make his faces or random noises but they never came. Stoically, Jensen sifted through the massive amount of information he had siphoned from the maniacal genius.

Pooch sighed, turning to Clay and Aisha, the two watching as Jensen's eyes scanned frantically over the numbers and letters that littered the screen. It was creepy to the point Aisha was scowling. He just… sat there… doing his job… without hassle… unacceptable.

"Colonel, ideas?" Pooch asked under his breath.

The large man only shrugged, wondering what could honestly be bothering Jensen. He wasn't sure why but he had always considered Jensen to be like his son. Maybe it was because the man was so immature, maybe it was because he was the youngest, or even that he just seemed to need someone to look after him. Who really knew, but that was his position in Clay's mind, his almost adopted son. The thought alone made him laugh. Each of the Losers had their specific position in Clay's mind, where they fell in his jacked up little family. Roque, as painful as it was to admit, was like Clay's brother, his right hand and the one that always helped him. Pooch and Cougar were harder to explain. They were like cousins or family friends, there to either bounce ideas off of or for the help but not really reliant on Clay. And then there was Jensen, the one who always needed all of them to have his back in one way or another. So seeing the usually jovial man this stoic and cold unnerved him.

He sighed, not sure of how to proceed with this. Despite feeling like a father to the kid, he didn't exactly want to have the _father_ talk with the man. Jensen was still a grown man who should deal with whatever comes his way but this time it involved Cougar, another man he felt was family. This was going to blow up and blow up badly.

But this was his job as the leader, to keep things running smoothly or as smoothly as he could. He was the one that had to weed out the bullshit and squash whatever squabbles threatened them. This qualified. Sighing, the graying man stood, Jensen still typing away without so much as a word.

"Jensen."

The man looked up, the image of the screen reflecting on his glasses. Clay said nothing as he waved at the man to follow him out onto the porch of their room. Jensen furrowed his brow confused but did as he was asked, meeting Clay on the balcony and found himself honestly wondering if it could support their combined weight.

"So," Clay sighed in his gravely voice, leaning onto the railing and staring at the poor but charming city below. "What's wrong?"

Jensen didn't answer for a moment, wondering if this was seriously how this was going to go down. After a moment or two of silence, Clay glanced to his side to see the young man staring blankly at him. He cocked a brow, waiting for an answer. Jensen only sighed and turned, mimicking Clay's motions. Their eyes scanned the scenery below before he spoke.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to die by the end of the week." he finally replied.

"Why do you say that?" Clay asked, unable to keep the smile from his lips.

"Cause if Cougs doesn't do it, Gabby will."

Clay couldn't keep the chuckle from escaping his mouth almost to the horror of the young man.

"Seriously? That's funny?"

"Jay, Cougar's not going to kill you."

Jensen felt himself relax slightly at the words, feeling as though if Clay said it, than it was true.

"Gabriella might though." he finished.

Jensen's head fell.

"What'd you say to her anyhow?" he asked, his own curiosity getting the better of him.

The Hacker couldn't keep from groaning before answering.

"I said you guys were laughing at me because you caught me with her."

Clay only managed a low whistle, adding to the gravity of the situation that currently weighed on the young man's shoulders.

"Whatever Colonel. How many girlfriends have you had that's tried to kill you?" he snapped.

Clay only laughed as he stood upright. He turned, slapping his massive hand onto the back of Jensen's shoulder.

"Welcome to the club." he laughed.

Jensen managed a weak smile.

"The hell am I supposed to do?"

Clay shrugged.

"You like the girl?"

Jensen nodded.

"Then there you are." he replied as though it were that simple, turning and walking back into the room.


	18. Chapter 18

Gabriella had been gone all day without so much as a word to the others about where she had been. They figured she had spent the day with her brother, and she might have, but they also seemed to forget that she was living in this city when they had arrived which meant she had a life there. Either way, she hadn't returned until well after the sun had set and much to Jensen's horror, it seemed to be only to pack her clothing.

The young man had been sitting on the couch in the common area, the TV on blaring some horrible Spanish soap-opera through the thick static as he lingered on whatever it was he was doing on his computer when she walked through the door. She had glanced to the man, acknowledging his existence, but simply walked past him and into the room where the two had caused so much damage. Jensen turned in his seat, trying not to make it too obvious that he was watching her as she gathered her clothing and put it into her bag. He felt his heart drop. Was she seriously leaving? He sat there for a moment, watching as she tossed the last bit of clothing into her duffle bag before walking out of the room. He stood abruptly and was standing in her way before his mind had completed the thought to stand. She seemed as shocked as he did at the action, both standing there for a moment before the man spoke.

"You leaving?"

She nodded slowly. His brow furrowed slightly.

"Why?"

She only cocked her brow and glanced to the bag.

"Look, I didn't mean it like that. I swear."

She only seemed to get more confused. He sighed, trying to find the words to really explain how bad he felt.

"I'm sorry." he finally said. "I didn't mean to piss you off it's just… last night was fun. Really fun." he smiled despite himself making the young woman blush. "And then this morning… But that doesn't mean you should leave I mean, stay. Just… stay."

"But I can't. I have to leave." she answered simply, still slightly confused.

Jensen felt his heart drop as he took a step closer to the young woman, Gabriella not moving. He was about to do something that was so far out of his comfort zone it wasn't funny. Honestly, he felt like he was in the middle of a chick flick.

"Look, I don't want you to go. Aside from the whole, you know, being scared you'll kick my ass thing, you're the coolest chick I've met in a long time that's… stable." he said, the young woman smiling slightly. "I'm an ass, I know, but can't you just hang around a few more days or something?"

"But I am out of clothes now." she answered.

Jensen's eyes narrowed on the young woman.

"What?" he asked, the confusion she had felt the entire conversation finally making its way to the young man.

"I have no more clean clothes. I can't last a few more days."

Jensen's face fell, color leaving his cheeks.

"You're going to do laundry? That's why you packed all your clothes and you're leaving?"

"Of course." she answered simply. "Where did you think I would go with all of my clothes?"

Jensen's mouth opened. He didn't want to say why he thought she was leaving or that he thought she was leaving period. He only stood there in silence as she smiled slightly.

"Did you think I was leaving?"

Jensen said nothing for a moment before exaggerating a scoff and laughed nervously.

"No." he laughed. "I uh… no. I knew you were doing laundry."

She nodded disbelievingly at the man before shaking her head.

"I know you're an idiot." she said with a smile much to the man's embarrassment. "There is no need to apologize for it."

"Well if you're going to be like that then I take it back." he replied almost hurt.

Gabriella said nothing as she shook her head. She took a step forward and lightly kissed his cheek.

"You are definitely a geek." she smiled, teasing him lightly as she left the hotel room.

Gabriella knew he hadn't meant what he had said earlier and that her initial reaction had been extreme. She knew it was either her bad English or his constant nerves around women that had possessed him to say what he had and she wasn't going to remain mad about it. Later she would apologize for overreacting but at the moment she did have to do laundry and think about how she was going to deal with Cougar leaving in no more than a few days. Then there was the fact that Jensen was going to be leaving too. She scowled at the thought of not only the brother she had thought had died leaving her to do god knows what, but at the thought of Jensen, someone she had developed a crush on and rather liked, going with him.

Much to their surprise, the doctors had actually let Cougar go the following day. They weren't sure why the staff had let the man leave deciding it was either the fact he was healing unnaturally fast or that Cougar was 'distracting' their female staff. The thought made his male cohorts smile while Gabriella and Aisha only rolled their eyes.

Pooch drove home slower than usual, not daring to hit any potholes and dips in the road. The task was harder than he had originally thought possible but he managed. Cougar would groan and bite back an intense pain that thumped through his body every time the wheel man would manage to hit something in the road, Pooch quickly uttering his apologies before they made it back to hotel.

Cougar muttered insults and other drabbles of words as the others mobilized around him to help him walk. He tried his best to push them off but it did little if not fail completely. Pooch only shook his head, Gabriella not above actually slapping the man when he tried to move himself. But as the group made their way into the halls on the floor they more or less dominated, Cougar noticed them walk right pass the room he shared with Jensen. He shot his sister a questioning look as they entered Pooch's room. She sighed.

"The bed broke." she answered simply.

Cougar narrowed his eyes on the young woman to his left as he sat before meeting the eyes of the hacker in front of him. Jensen froze under the weight of the nearly black eyes. Cougar stared at the man, knowing that at some point he would crack under the pressure. Jensen was never able to hold out long against the silent treatment and that coupled with the Sniper's naturally horrifying gaze made Jensen tell him anything he wanted to know. Now would be no different.

Jensen stared at the dark eyes shining beneath the rim of the worn and tattered hat, the dim light reflecting back at him. He fidgeted under the gaze but bit down on his tongue to keep it from wagging like it tended to. The young man fought against spilling information like he had before, not willing to A. piss Gabriella off again, B. sign his own death certificate with the angry sniper and C. manage to put his foot in his mouth again like he always did.

"It did not happen from Jacob and I having sex." Gabriella offered, walking towards her brother with a bottle of water and his medicine.

Jensen seemed slightly relieved that she had spoken up first but he wasn't sure where the declaration would lead. The others looked at her a bit surprised.

"It didn't." she repeated. "I was tickling Jacob and we fell onto the bed and it broke."

Jensen groaned internally. He didn't even want Cougar to know he and Gabriella were comfortable enough with each other for them to be tickling one another. Cougar cocked a skeptical brow to his sister than Jensen and back again, trying to find the lie but there wasn't one. It was the truth. The others had assumed, naturally given the state of the room, that the damage was done from god knows what and they were free to believe her or not, but Gabriella was telling the truth.

"Drink." she demanded, moving on from the subject after opening the bottle.

Cougar muttered something under his breath in Spanish that made Gabriella roll her eyes.

"You cared for me, let me care for you. Drink."

The Losers couldn't keep the smiles from their lips as Cougar muttered again but did as she asked, popping two of the painkillers he had been given into his mouth before taking the bottle of water she was handing him. Begrudgingly he obliged his younger sister and made her smile victoriously.

"Gracias." she beamed, capping the bottle for the one armed man and handing it to him.

With a lingering annoyed glance to Gabriella, Cougar turned his dark eyes to Clay who understood the look clearly.

"Jensen, how goes the data retrieval?"

"Good." he coughed, slowly making his way out of the previous train of thought. "Slow but good. There's a lot of encryption but it shouldn't take too long."

"How you feeling man?" Pooch asked their sniper.

"Fine."

The others in the room eyed the Spaniard skeptically. They knew, as far as he was concerned, he probably was fine, hunky dory, but the problem was reality. In reality, he wasn't and there was no telling how long they should give him to finish healing before doing god knows what in their pursuit of an evil little CIA man.

"Give it a week. Then we'll head out." Clay said simply, turning to leave the room.

There were silent agreements, Cougar thankful he didn't have to say anything and was partially hoping he would get the chance to sleep for a while. He nodded his silent agreement to his boss before leaning back into the couch and pulling the rim of his hat over his eyes. He wasn't planning on sleeping immediately but knew it would come with the medicine, it always did. Right now he would just sit and listen as long as possible.


	19. Chapter 19

**This is short just because I realized I had repeated a bunch of the previous chapter in the beginning. Sorry. lol**

0o0

Cougar would drift in an out of sleep due more to the medication than anything else. He was always a light sleeper for obvious reasons but with the medicine forcing him to sleep, he was more inconsistent than before, drifting, waking when people moved too much, then falling back to sleep. They had long since told the stubborn man to move into the back room in Pooch's suit but he wouldn't, feeling he had already missed too much in his near week in the hospital to spend even more time away from them. At the moment he was considering their offer, Gabriella constantly hovering over him otherwise.

She was worried about her brother for obvious reasons. It didn't matter if fifty years passed between them, he was still her brother, her blood. So, since she had the chance, she babied him and mothered him more for herself than his benefit. She was right there, on the minute, to give him the medicine he would otherwise neglect, forcing the pain killers and antibiotics down his throat, making him eat more than he normally would, making him drink often. She knew the man, better than most anyone, and knew how he would be.

Gabriella was currently changing his bandages in the bathroom, making him get up and walk at least a few times a day so he wouldn't get stiff and sore, something he was actually grateful for. He hated laziness. She had gathered him up, barely even needing to touch him to keep him balanced, he was getting better, and led him into the bathroom. She sat him down, helped him remove his shirt and went about removing the bandages. The two sat in their reserved silence as she gently poked and prodded the wounds to check for infection before wiping something that stung over it. Cougar growled under his breath whether he meant to or not.

"Stop being a child." Gabriella teased lightly, a smile touching her lips as she dried the wound and pressed a new piece of gauze against it. "I feel like mama when we would hurt ourselves outside."

Cougar smiled crookedly like he tended to do but it faded at the memories of their kind hearted mother tending to them when they would either hurt one another or just the usual child injuries. Gabriella seemed to notice it the same time, her hands freezing when she pressed only a single piece of tape to his bandage. Cougar's head fell slightly, his hand lightly patting hers and snapping her back into what she was doing.

"She used to sing to us when we were sick or hurt. Recuerde?"

Cougar nodded as she finished with his shoulder injury and moved to his exit wound. Gabriella lightly removed the damaged gauze and went about repeating her previous steps, her eyes distant as she thought about whatever it was that was moving around in her head.

"_Parajito que cantas en la laguna,_" she began to sing softly as her fingers lightly touched the injury and cleaned it. "_No despiertes al niño que esta en la cuna…"_

Cougar's mind began to move back to when they were kids, their mother putting them in bed as she sang softly to them like she did every night. She would sing lullabies when they went to bed, when they were hurt, sick, whenever. Cougar suspected she preferred them to actual songs though he never knew why.

Without noticing it, the others in the main living space heard the young woman singing softly to her brother. They had left the door open per Cougar's request. He wanted to know everything at every time. Neither though were even in 'this world' so to speak, so weren't paying attention to those listening to them.

"_Ea. La Ea. Ea, la nana."_ she continued, the words no louder than her speaking voice.

Cougar suddenly felt eyes on him. Looking up, he realized they were Jensen's. Clay, Aisha an d Pooch were listening but going about their business, their movement having slowed a bit, but Jensen was staring directly into the bathroom, the computer screen reflecting off of his glasses and making it difficult to see much of anything else.

"_Duermete lucerito de la manana, de la manana."_ she finished, unaware of people listening and most likely not caring as she lightly pressed the last bit of tape to her brother's skin, securing the fresh bandage. "Finished."

Cougar nodded as she threw away the trash and cleaned up a bit. He stood, moving his stiff arms before leaning over to her and lightly kissing the top of her head.

"Hermosa niña." he muttered softly before making his way out into the room.

Gabriella smiled to herself as she cleared the last of the trash into the small waist bin. For some reason, her hand moved to her neck and lightly began to trace the cross that hung on her neck. She was never an overly religious woman but she was still Catholic. She'd still go to church every once and a while and pray for her friends, her lost family. She used to pray for the safety of Cougar which at the time she had thought was a lost cause but now seeing he was alive made her feel better about having done it. But despite how unreligious she really was, given what she did for a living, the cross held special meaning.

It was her grandmother's cross, the same chain, the same beautifully crafted ornament that hung from the elder woman's neck before going to Abigail, Gabriella's mother, and then to her. It was an heirloom passed down to all of the women in the family and if Gabriella was lucky enough to have a daughter of her own, it would be the same. She lightly touched the pendant, flicking the two gold rings that hung with it. Her parent's wedding rings. They were all, her entire family, very sentimental, respecting the memory of those gone.

She wore the symbols proudly, her family's cross, parent's rings and brother's dogtags, but at the moment it wasn't the tags that weighed in her mind. She had noticed that since seeing Cougar again, knowing he was safe, her mind lingered more on her parents when she was alone. It was just something that happened naturally but being confronted with one who reminded you so much of that pain and hurt from back then, it seemed to amplify the feelings. Having Cougar near now made the memories of her mother withering away, her father dying in the hospital all the more vivid. Suddenly her mind flashed images of her father laying in the hospital dying, shifting slowly into Carlos instead. She shuddered violently trying to push the thought from her mind.

Turning to leave, Gabriella was suddenly stopped by someone standing directly behind her. She stood, shocked that they were so close and she hadn't heard him come up. A moment, ago, when she had been paying attention, he was sitting in the background working, but now he was right there, staring blankly into her face.

"Yes?" she asked calmly.

"I think we should talk." he muttered so none of the others watching them could hear.

She nodded, still a bit confused why he was so stoic but followed when he lead her out of the room. The others sat in the living area for a moment, wondering what they had just seen.

"Where are they going?" Jensen asked slightly worried.

The other shrugged, wondering why Pooch had been so serious when led Gabriella from the hotel room.

0o0

**The song she sings is called 'Pajarito Que Cantas'**


	20. Chapter 20

Gabriella felt comfortable around Pooch, the man being funny and kind, but the two had never spoken on their own before, not truly having the need. She had either been around all of them at once, only Cougar or only Jensen, never just her and Pooch. And then to see him as calm and emotionless as he was being bothered her a little, putting her on edge.

They walked in relative silence until reaching the stairwell. He opened the door for her, waiting until she passed through before following and closing the door securely behind them. She was waiting for a cue to where they were going next only to realize this must have been their final stop.

"Is something the matter?" she finally asked.

"You like Jay right?"

Gabriella was a bit surprised by his blunt question, an expression that was easily displayed on her face. Her mouth hung slack for a moment as she tried to find the right words, Pooch only waiting patiently for her to speak.

"Yes." she finally replied."

"Look," Pooch sighed, his demeanor becoming more relaxed. "Jay's my boy. So's Coug. But, Jay's worried about all this."

"About what?"

A smirk touched the man's face for a moment.

"He still kind of thinks Cougar's gonna kill him."

Gabriella shared his look, let in on the silent joke.

"Carlos wouldn't touch him." she answered. "He never will. He considers you his other family."

"Us to. We all… it's how we roll." he said. "Jay's like my brother, we all kind of look out for him and… Are you just messing with him?"

Her eyes went a bit wide again. Did they not realize it took her a moment in her head to translate what they were saying to her and that randomly changing in the middle of a sentence might not be the best idea? To her, it just sounded like he was accusing her of something but she was probably misunderstanding him like she tended to do with Jensen.

"Pardon?"

"Look," he said in a quiet voice, taking a few steps closer to her. "Jay likes you. I mean, he's not smooth with anybody but I can tell he likes you. I just want to make sure this isn't some kind of game for you."

The smile she had donned while he spoke, the light pink hue from blushing in her cheeks faded when he repeated his previous accusation. So it wasn't her translation error, he did think she was toying with Jensen. Her brow tensed slightly.

"Why would this be a game?" she asked, trying to understand what he meant.

Pooch cocked a skeptical brow to the woman. She was attractive, not Pooch's type but a beautiful women none-the-less and given Jensen's lack of lady-swooning skills, he, along with the others, found it a little hard to believe that she really was beginning to develop feelings for the Hacker. It wasn't to say Jensen couldn't land a woman like her it was just… no. Yeah, that's what it was. Jensen just wasn't smooth or even coordinated enough. Between saying and doing the wrong thing all the time, no woman had much patience for the man to see how great he really was.

The thought made Pooch realize something. Maybe Gabriella did. Maybe she really did like the kid because she had the patience. Then again, she had already hit him a few times.

"I'm just looking out for my man." he finally said.

She nodded. The two smiled, Pooch relaxing as he stepped forward and looped his arm over her shoulder.

"Come on chica," he chimed, leading her back through the door. "Welcome to the family."

"Dysfunctional yes?" she asked with a laugh, hoping she had the right word.

Pooch beamed and laughed happily.

"Oh yeah. Dysfunctional works." he laughed, the two coming into the main room.

Pooch went off to join Clay at the table, Aisha glancing up over her gun, Cougar watching the two curiously and Jensen just gawking as though discretion was something he never learned. In truth, it really was something he learned, he just never applied.

"Jensen, work." Clay barked half heartedly from the table.

Gabriella smiled to the young man and winked as she took a seat next to her brother, flipping on the television to one of the most horrible shows the others had ever seen. They understood little to nothing when it came to what the characters were saying but the Alvarez kids had become just that, kids. They were laughing and talking amongst themselves at what they watched. It was weird to say the least seeing Cougar look... human, but it was nice too. Like Jensen had said before, they all just kind of assumed Cougar had been built in a lab for super scary, super snipers so seeing him with family, carefree and relatively at ease for once was endearing. They all smiled to themselves internally and went back to their work, prepping for the inevitable departure.

**(This was shorter than I thought it'd be but I thought it was kind of sweet on it's own. :) )**


	21. Chapter 21

Four days had passed and Sunday morning was hanging just over the horizon. Sunday was the agreed upon day. With the time they had wasted with Cougar's injury, none of them feeling that way about it in truth, they were far too behind schedule to wait longer. So, making plans here and there, the group had arranged for an extraction Sunday morning before the sun even rose. Right now, it was Friday and far too close for Gabriella's comfort. She had become a bit more clingy to Cougar and with good reason. Jensen found himself wishing she would pay him a bit more attention but he wasn't stupid enough to say anything about it to anyone. What they didn't know was, she would spend every day with Cougar and every night with Jensen.

With her bed destroyed, she stayed every night with Jensen in his. She had told Cougar that it was too low for him, that he couldn't be getting up and down from a bed on the ground while he healed but she could. She could tell he suspected something else but left it alone. So, after going through unknown amounts of data, Jensen would curl into bed next to Gabriella and he couldn't help but love it.

At the moment he was already laying in bed wearing a huge smile, like he tended to do, with his hands propping up his head. Gabriella walked in drying her hair and saw him. She cocked a brow to the man but smiled regardless as she moved into the bed next to him. Like the other nights before, she curled to his side, her hair cold but he pushed passed it, looping his arm around her shoulder. The two sat in relative silence for a while before Gabriella spoke.

"Do you know where you're going when you leave?" she asked in a quiet voice.

The smile on his lips began to fade slowly. He sat there for a moment, trying to speak but honestly not sure how to answer.

"I don't know." he finally said softly.

The hand she had resting on his stomach tensed slightly. With his brow creasing sadly, Jensen lightly took it into his own, holding her hand.

"What are you gonna do down here? Get a new place I guess huh?"

He felt her shrug.

"There is nothing here for me to stay. Perhaps America?"

A smile touched his lips again.

"That's cool. America's pretty awesome. You can do anything up there."

She smiled but it was as weak as his. They both knew that once he was gone, all of them were gone, the chances of her ever seeing him again was going to be slim at best. The fact hung over them, refusing to leave only getting bigger and bigger as time ticked by.

"No." Gabriella finally snapped, throwing the blanket off the two of them and standing abruptly.

Jensen laid there, wondering what she was doing as she moved around the room.

"Uh… did I miss something?"

"We are going out." she answered simply, gathering some of her clothes and dressing.

"Out? Like… huh?"

"Get dressed." she smiled, stepping out of the room.

He still lay there, unsure of what had exactly happened before doing as she asked. When he left the room, Gabriella had already put on a skirt, her hair brushed and dried and was busy tying another oversized shirt around her waist. He opened his mouth to speak but was silenced when there was a knock on the door. Smiling wide, Gabriella swung it open revealing the rest of the team, including Cougar. She turned excitedly to Jensen.

"Vamos." she grinned, grabbing his arm and tugging him along with them.

He followed with an awkward smile tugging at his lips, his mind having trouble catching up with what was happening while the others seemed as excited as Gabriella. They were each dressed up about as well as they could be with their limited wardrobe, Pooch adorning a nice button up black shirt though it remained open to the white shirt beneath, a pair of jeans that had the least amount of shit on them, bounding to the music that played in the car and smiling wide. Clay's wardrobe never changed so his was easy enough to discern. Aisha was wearing the closest thing Jensen assumed she owned to a dress, her hair up and Cougar not really needing to do any of it though he was smiling.

Pooch sped through the darkened streets, each turn looking like the last before a cantina came into view, a familiar little bar. Jensen smiled, finally understanding as they drove up to the little bar they had all met the young woman in not two weeks before. Still clutching his wrist tightly, Gabriella all but dragged him into the bar when the car had finally stopped, the others smiling behind him. He was helpless and not sure he really wanted to be rescued anyway.

Inside it was just like it had been before, locals all having a great time, dancing, drinking, eating, talking and laughing, unaware of anything bad beyond their door. It was obvious this was the place everyone went for fun, to forget their worries and troubles and when you're surrounded by people that happy, it was hard to ignore.

Still holding onto him, Gabriella didn't even bother asking Jensen if he wanted to or could dance, not stopping until they were on the dance floor. Cougar only shook his head at the poor hacker before noticing a beautiful young woman and pursuing her. Clay, Aisha and Pooch grabbed some drinks and took a table but it wasn't long before Clay and Aisha took the dance floor too. Pooch grumbled to himself.

"Fine! Leave the married guy behind!" he yelled halfheartedly at the group, smiling when he noticed Gabriella trying to force Jensen to move his feet. "Come on Jay! Do better."

Jensen glared at the man in the distance as Gabriella rolled her eyes, placing the Hacker's hand on her hip and holding the other.

"Focus on me Jacob." she giggled, seeing him wonder who was watching him fall on his face. Still not meeting her eyes, Gabriella grabbed his chin and forced him. "Only look at me."

A smiled tugged at his lips.

"Easy enough." he replied.

When a new song came on, she began to lead the man. He was fine with it, honestly, not having her rhythm and not really too good at dancing in the first place. Soon enough, he calmed a bit but Gabriella was fairly certain if he were to truly relax, he'd need some good tequila in his system. She was more than willing to do so.

The minutes turned to hours easily and none of them could remember a time where they had as much fun as they were. There was no shooting, no fighting, no Max. There was only a group of friends adoring one another's company and having a great time. They poured shots and took them, Jensen surprising them all by the amount of alcohol he could hold though he had to admit he wasn't drinking all of them, the others just weren't paying as much attention as they thought they were.

His dancing had lightened up to the point he didn't care what the others thought about it, the strangers around him included. Gabriella was smiling and laughing happily as she spun out from him and back, keeping in tune with the music. After she had sufficiently worn out Jensen, she forced Pooch off of his seat and made him dance. He was better than she thought. The two were having a great time, Pooch just happy he could dance with someone that was neither a woman who could understand him or Aisha. Jolene wouldn't get mad about Cougar's little sister. So they had their fun before Jensen took her back.

The band played happily, white haired men that knew their instruments well, the crowd cheering and multicolored skirts fluttering in all directions. There was so much going on and in the chaos, two were focused only one each other. So focused, it seemed, that they hadn't noticed someone was staring at them until his hand shot out and grabbed Gabriella by her upper arm and snapping her away from Jensen.

She turned angrily to the person that dared man handle her but her ferocity was suddenly squelched. Jensen looked at her, sure she lost a bit of color as she wrenched her arm from the man and all but clung to his side, slightly behind him. He looked confused at the man that seemed to have nothing but hate for Jensen. The rest of the Losers were watching the display, not ignorant to it, and slowly began to make their way towards the three incase something happened.

"Manuel." she gasped.

"Wait, you know this guy?" Jensen asked her.

She nodded her head almost frantically. He had never seen her this scared before, save with Cougar, not even when armed men stormed her home. It worried him.

"Uh, senior," he began in horrible Spanish. "Usted… uh… debe…"

He was trying to tell the guy to leave them alone but despite the greatness of his brain, he was better with 1's and 0's, not languages.

The large, rather intimidating man, cocked his brow to Jensen and seemed to completely disregard him as either a person or a threat.

"Gabriella, vamos." he told her sternly in a gravely voice that made him all the more unnerving.

"No." she replied weakly.

He only sighed annoyed and gripped her arm again, yanking her out from behind Jensen. She struggled to hit the man but looked almost petrified. As though it were the only way to stop her, the man's hand came down and connected with her face, stunning her to the point she went limp, her lip bleeding profusely. Rage coursed through all of them, Jay being the closest and he wasn't about to let him take her. Moving forward, her spun the man around as they left and before he could even raise his own fist, the man belted him in the gut sending him immediately to the ground.

"Jacob!" Gabriella called when he crumbled to his knees, gasping for air.

The Losers mobilized. All of them well armed moved around the man though again, he seemed more annoyed than threatened. Taking Gabriella in both fists, holding her arms securely, he positioned her like a shield daring them to fire or throw punches with her there. The group looked confused at one another for a moment, unsure if they were seeing this right. Cougar didn't back down, his eyes black and hate filled.

"Carlos no." Gabriella hissed.

His eyes shot to hers.

"No." she snapped again, unwilling to let the man hurt himself further. She knew, in her heart, he wouldn't listen to her but she felt she at least had to say it.

"Hey!" someone snapped. The six turned to see Jensen struggling to get up, still hoarse and breathing heavily as he planted his palm on the table top to stand. Eventually he looked up at Manuel. "Asshole, she stays."

Manuel seemed to find Jensen funny and didn't bother keeping the smile, or the laugh that followed from his face. He laughed like a damn hyena and it made Jensen all the more angry. The large man released his hold on only one of Gabriella's arms so he could better face the small Hacker. Cougar wanted to moved forward and take advantage of Manuel's distraction only to see how deeply the man's fingers were digging into his sister's skin. That was damn near unbreakable at the moment.

"You challenge me?" he asked in broken English.

"Yeah. Me challenge you." Jensen mocked.

Manuel's smiled faded instantly. He took a step forward but was suddenly blindsided. Jensen grabbed the tray one of the waitresses had placed on the table he had used to get up and brought it down violently onto the man's face, putting all of his energy into it. Manuel seemed stunned by the action, chunks and slivers of wood spewing from the contact. He swayed lightly, relaxing enough of his grip on Gabriella for her to pull herself away from him. With her out of the way, Jensen all but pounced on the man, tackling him to the ground with a heavy thud and going bat shit on his face.

Jensen's fists flew, pounding into the rock like face of the man beneath him. Despite how proud they were of their little Hacker, it was slightly frightening how enraged he looked. Jensen was scowling heavily and looked like an irate psycho with no regard to what he was doing, damn near determined to pound until there was nothing left. Slowly, his arms seemed to get tired and eventually he slowed. Taking their chance, Pooch and Clay looped their arms under Jensen's and pulled him up, off and out. Aisha, Cougar and Gabriella were right behind the three, none giving a second thought to the man nearly comatose on the ground.

As fast as they could, they loaded everyone into the van and sped off before anyone could call the cops. The van was deathly silent, no one really saying anything as they tried to wrap their mind around what had happened. Pooch broke the silence.

"So uh, I'm pretty sure Jay killed that guy." he chimed.

"Good." a chorus replied.

Clay and Pooch shared a smile, Cougar, Jensen and Gabriella replying to the statement in the same voice. Uncaring.

"You sure do know how to show a girl a good time don't you?" Aisha teased.

Gabriella smiled despite herself, Jensen doing the same.


	22. Chapter 22

Back at the hotel room, Gabriella had to all but shove Cougar away from her. Her lip was busted, nothing more. She was fine but he was taking it upon himself to do his brotherly duties and wanting to clean it or something, anything to make up for the fact he hadn't killed the man at the bar for touching her. She reassured him that she was fine, only tired and wanted to go to bed. He reluctantly nodded and let her leave the room to head back the her own. Jensen was right behind her. Cougar lightly smacked the man's shoulder for his attention, smiling proudly at the Hacker when their eyes met before moving to his couch. Jensen beamed internally and nodded his thanks to Cougar before following after Gabriella.

When he made his way into their hotel room, she was already in the bathroom, cursing under her breath as she tried to clean her chin, partially unwilling to touch her actual lip. Jensen smiled and joined her, taking the rag from her to do the job she didn't seem to want to do.

"Thank you." she finally said after an extended silence.

Jensen smirked.

"No problem." he smiled, rinsing off the cloth before continuing.

"No one other than Carlos has stood up for me. Gracias."

Jensen looked into her face and saw how relieved she seemed to be.

"Who was that guy anyway?"

Her eyes immediately left his, unwilling to look into his face.

"That bad huh?"

She nodded.

"How long'd you date?"

"Too long." she muttered under her breath.

He nodded, trying to be as gentle as he could but it was difficult when he reached the actual cut. Gabriella slammed her eyes shut and did her best to remain still as he cleaned it.

"There. Done." he said, Gabriella unaware she had been holding her breath until she sighed.

"Thank you again."

Jensen shrugged halfheartedly before feeling the twinge.

"Dude hits like a horse."

"Yes. He is very strong." she answered, lightly leading him into the living area to use the better light to see if he was hurt. She lifted his shirt and saw purple beginning to form around his side. "Bruised, perhaps broken. You were brave to fight him."

"Hey," he shrugged with a smile. "Someone touches my girl, it's on like Donkey Kong."

Jensen suddenly snapped his mouth shut. He seemed to realize what he said the same time she did. Daringly he looked down to see her staring blankly at the man, pulling his shirt back down as she stood upright.

"I am your girl?" she asked in a soft voice.

"Well I mean, yeah but, I don't know, kind of… yeah."

He had stopped his babbling early and was glad he did. Gabriella smiled and blushed embarrassed at the man who seemed to only beam more at the thought. A wide toothed grin touched his lips.

"Sleep." she finally said, glancing back at him and only smiling wider as she walked by, pulling her shirt up.

"No rush." he smiled, following after her and closing their door.

0o0

Saturday came and went faster than any of them had anticipated or really wanted. The only one, however, that didn't seem bothered and was actually waiting to leave was Aisha. She seemed more annoyed that they were losing Max than anything but the others were just kind of hating the fact they had to end their little vacation. Jensen and Cougar had other reasons.

Gabriella had refused to let either of them let go of her hand the whole day almost. She was either constantly sitting or clinging to one of them in a futile hope that it would keep them where they were. Of course time still ticked by, still kept going no matter how much she didn't want it to.

Right now Clay had ushered most everyone out to do small busy work leaving Cougar and Gabriella alone. He wanted to give the siblings at least some time alone. When everyone had gone, leaving the two sitting on the couch, Gabriella felt he tears burn in her eyes. They were watching some kind of show, the newer episode of whatever it was they had watched a few nights ago, but neither laughed, neither of them even seemed to be watching it.

Gabriella felt something lace into her hand. Glancing down, she realized it was Cougar's. Taking it, she held tightly to it, curling into his side. They were suddenly children again, like so many other times they had been alone, reverting back to when they were kids, having nothing in adulthood to reference. She was shaking lightly as she silently wept. Cougar let his head fall to the side and rest on top of hers.

For so long, they were all the other had and now was barely any different. She knew better than to ask when he was going to call or if he even would. She knew he, if he did know, wouldn't tell her exactly. There was no point in asking because she wasn't sure she could force the words out in the first place. So they would sit and enjoy their silence, too much needing to be said, unresolved issues from him leaving the first time would remain that way all because neither wanted the fight of the argument it would bring. Gabriella knew she had no choice but to cherish the time she had now and that was exactly what she planned to do. What she hadn't anticipated however, was what Cougar did.

"_Tu eres la tristeza de mis ojos,"_ he began to mutter in a light song. _"Que lloran en silencio por tu amor…_"

Gabriella's eyes watered, the tears breaking free while she smiled. That was their parent's favorite song and though no one in the world, his team included, knew that Cougar could not only sing but would, he did for her. Right now he wasn't a sniper or a soldier or a killer. He was a big brother, nothing more nothing less.

What people didn't realize was how compassionate the man could be and was. Cougar was a lot of things that the others didn't know, that years of military, a hard life and god knows what else had covered but not erased. He may be solemn, quiet, rarely smile and relatively unreadable most of the time but there was little else one could be after seeing and doing the things he had. None of that mattered right now. It was far to easy to slip back into the way things were, the way he was, before he even joined the Army.

"_Obligo a que te olvide el pensamiento, pues siempre estoy pensando en la ayer…_" he continued before Gabriella joined the chorus. "_Preifiero estar dormida que despierta, de tanto que me duele que no estes…"_ they finished together.

Cougar smiled kindly and kissed the top of the young woman's head.

"Lo siento." he uttered, apologizing for everything, anything that may have happened while he was gone, because he was gone.

A weak smile touched the young woman's face as she squeezed his hand a bit harder.

"Es bien." she whispered gently.

When the others returned to the little room, the two Alvarez siblings were asleep on the couch looking as though they hadn't moved. Cougar was sitting upright, leaning gently over, his head still resting on Gabriella's, his eyes closed as he clutched her hand in his. Gabriella was leaning into him, her head gently resting on his shoulder and both hands clamped tightly over his with her feet curled up onto the couch behind her, hidden beneath her skirt. They looked oddly peaceful.

Pooch had already gone back to his room to sleep, Clay, Aisha and Jensen coming to the headquarters. Jensen had followed when he realized the door to his room was wide open and she wasn't there after peeking into his suite. Clay smiled slightly, a bit surprised and impressed by Cougar's protective and loving display towards the young woman as he walked to the room her shared with Aisha in the back. It was a nice change. Aisha couldn't even keep the kind smile from her face when she followed. Jensen remained for a moment.

It was an endearing thing, to see Cougar look so 'human' almost but he was slightly hurt that this meant Gabriella wasn't coming to bed with him on his last night. He sure as hell wasn't stupid enough to either wake her up or risk waking Cougar in the process. So, gripping a blanket that was tossed onto a side chair, Jensen lightly fluttered it open and draped it over the two sleeping bodies. He smiled, kissed the back of Gabriella's head that was far enough away from Cougar and his hat he could reach and walked out to his room.

0o0

This song, which I think is really, really pretty, is called Amor Eterno by Rocio Durcal. I suggest, if you like Spanish songs or you're just curious, to look it up on youtube. And the lyrics as they're said are:

"_You are the sadness in my eyes, that weep in silence for you love."_

"_I force my thought to forget you, because I'm always thinking of yesterday."_

Together: "_I'd rather be sleeping than awake because of how much it hurts that you're not here."_

Pretty right? Sad but pretty.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

The sound of rustling, no matter how quiet, woke both of the two sleeping on the couch. They looked around in the dimly lit room to see Aisha was the one moving in their area, Clay's massive frame moving in the background.

"You're awake." she said, noticing the two of them shifting.

The two nodded, neither speaking as they stood. Both of them bit back a groan of pain at how sore they had become, unmoving on the couch. Aisha glanced up, cocking a brow in slight disbelief as she watched the two stretch, matching one another completely before turning their attention to the two.

"Pack up Coug. We leave in twenty." Clay said simply.

The sniper nodded and headed down towards his room, purposely ignoring his sister's face. She didn't acknowledge the shirt time line, not out loud at least, before moving to wake Jensen or at least help him pack. If anything, she just wanted something to do and keep her hands busy. When she walked through the door to their suite, she had expected to see Jensen awake, throwing his crap haphazardly into his bag but he wasn't. In fact the lights weren't even on. Scowling slightly, she flipped them on and realized nothing was different.

Walking into his room she flipped on the light switch. Jensen was sprawled over the entire bed, sideways at that, his legs hanging over the edge on the left, his head and arms over the right, the blanket tangled all around him. He was snoring lightly, for once, his mouth hanging open until she turned on the light. Instantly he had groaned, burying his head into the blanket. Almost immediately he pulled every limb underneath the comforter, disappearing from sight completely and letting no light touch him. She laughed.

"Come on ma." he whined. "Ten more minutes."

Cocking a brow to the man, unable to keep from laughing either, she walked forward. Lightly Gabriella pulled the edge of the blanket up and slipped seamlessly into it with him. Jensen seemed to barely notice as she curled next to the grumbling, incoherent man. Still laughing to herself, Gabriella lightly scratched his sideburn, knowing it tickled more than anything. Jensen immediately swatted blindly at the bother. Stifling her giggle, she repeated the action and yet again so did he. One more time would have been enough to wake him but she never had a chance. Before her hand could come out, Jensen pounced and grabbed her around her arms, holding her tightly as he rolled her onto her back, flipping the blanket off of them in the process. She laughed as he nuzzled playfully into her hair.

"Jacob wake up." she giggled.

"Can't. Sleeping." he muttered, his voice muffled slightly.

"Clay said you are leaving soon," she said, her voice losing the laugh slowly. "You must get up and pack."

He sighed and pulled back. Gabriella adjusted herself enough so she could turn to see him staring at her, the first time without his glasses. She didn't really seem to notice. The two just stared at one another for a moment before Jensen moved forward, lazily and awkwardly, scooting his head towards hers and lightly kissed her.

"How long?" he whispered, letting his forehead touch hers, both closing their eyes slightly as though willing to go back to bed.

"Twenty minutes."

He growled like an annoyed child before nodding.

"What time is it?"

"Early. Five I think."

"AM?" he snapped weakly. "That's just not right."

She smiled and lightly kissed his nose.

"You have to pack. I'll help."

He nodded but made no attempt to actually move and she didn't try to make him. They were happy in their little bubble, like they didn't have to do anything before it was popped rudely.

"_Come on Jay!"_ Pooch yelled from the hall, obviously shuffling his own shit. "_Get your ass up. Boat leaves with or without us."_

"A boat?" he groaned. "Ah man…"

Gabriella only grinned and moved gingerly out of his arms, holding out her hand to help him. Jensen opened his eyes but say nothing more than a fuzzy outline and a hand. Reluctantly he took it and with her help, gathered the random crap of his he could find.

Despite Cougar's adamant protests, Gabriella joined them. Pooch didn't want to leave the van there, he wasn't sure why, and saying that Gabriella could take it back just seemed like a valid enough lie to work. So that's what he did, saying they needed someone to take the van back. The group made their way towards the shipping docks, their ride the inside of a container until they were aboard and through customs. Clay spoke with their contact for a moment before returning.

He smiled kindly to Gabriella and leaned forward to hug her lightly, something that was relatively out of character for the man but he felt he owed her for her help in the mission they had come to Costa Rica. He nodded his thanks to her and stepped aside. Aisha did nothing but nod to the woman, neither even remotely close enough for any type of physical contact, not even a handshake. Pooch hugged her too, enjoying having a girl around that wasn't a bitch, if even for a little bit, before joining Clay and Aisha in the background. Now there were only two.

Cougar stared at Jensen out of the corner of his eye. Each wanted a moment with her but neither was sure who should go first. Surprisingly enough, it was Jensen that chose the order.

"Go ahead man. I'll just be over here for a sec." he said, walking to the others' side to wait.

Cougar looked sadly at his sister but smiled regardless. She returned the action and moved forward, hugging him tightly, much tighter than he was probably able to stand but neither cared. He held her just as tight, each secretly wondering how long it'd be before they saw one another again. She buried her face into the scarf around his neck, him resting his chin on the top of her head.

"Te amo." she whispered.

A smile twitched briefly at Cougar's lips before he moved, lightly kissing the top of her head.

"Te amo niña." he whispered back, repeating the kiss and hugging her tightly once more before walking off to the others.

Jensen's turn. He slowly walked forward, nervous and a bit awkward before stopping at her side. He stood there, looking like a teenager that was about to break up with his girlfriend. She smiled as best she could at the man, Jensen doing the same. He wasn't sure what he could do with the others watching and he wasn't sure what he wanted to do in front of an audience. It was too much pressure in his mind.

"Ah fuck it." he replied, grabbing her wrist and pulling her forward.

Gabriella would have lost her balance and tumbled forward by the sharp tug if he hadn't wrapped his arms around her and blocked her fall with his chest. He quickly wrapped his arms around her and planted his lips to hers before anyone knew what was happening. Gabriella herself wasn't even sure until a good few seconds had passed. The Losers in the background smiled their approval before turning and walking off. Even Cougar grinned a bit knowing how good a man Jensen was and glad they were lucky enough to have met one another.

The two stood there, in their own world as they kissed. Slowly, they began to pull back, Jensen resting his forehead against hers as he snuck a few pecks here and there, his face slightly pained as he cupped her cheeks gently in his hands. Gabriella wasn't willing to open her eyes and lightly held his hands in hers.

"Adios Jacob." she finally whispered.

"Yeah. Adios…" he repeated, kissing her gently again before pulling back enough to open his eyes. "You should probably get going. I left something for you, at the hotel room."

She furrowed her brow quizzically.

"You got me a present?"

"You can say that." he grinned, his hands falling to her hips. "Take care of yourself okay?"

She laughed lightly.

"Siempre." she smiled. Her hand came up and cupped his cheek, her thumb gently tracing along his bottom lip. "Vaya con dios Jacob."

A smile twitched temporarily at his lips before he leaned forward and kissed her again. This one was longer, sadder than before and bordering on desperate before he broke it suddenly. Unable to stand there and prolong the internal torture, Jensen broke the final kiss long before he wanted to, walking off after the others in the distance. Gabriella watched them fade, disappearing around the corner of a shipping container.

Her eyes burned as she watched her brother and Jacob disappear from sight. Feeling as though she had been hit in the gut, Gabriella left as fast as she could. She wanted to put as much space as possible between her and them.

Speeding was a bad idea, maybe, kind of, but it didn't stop her. Her eyes burned, tears stained her cheeks and her body shook at the thought of watching Carlos leave yet again and still, just like before, helpless to stop him. Then there was Jensen, a person she felt for and cared about. She knew he'd be safe under Cougar's guard, but still, them being gone was too much.

When she reached the room she had shared with Jensen the feeling didn't subside, only grew. Wanting nothing more than to leave, she began to throw her clothing into her back, her weapons near the door already, and packed before seeing an envelope sitting on the bed. Her brow furrowed slightly as she reached out and took it, opening it to see documents inside. Flipping it upside, she spilled the documents onto the bed and couldn't help but laugh.

There, resting before her, was a whole new life. A passport, ID's, everything she could possibly need was taken care of for her in a new name. Still smiling at his cleverness and the sweetness this implied, Gabriella found a note resting with everything else. The handwriting was horrible and she knew immediately it had to be Jensen's.

_Gabby,_

_Here's a whole new life. You can walk right across the border now. I figured a new name would be good cause you know, Max is a dick. There's a ticket to New Hampshire in there too. I know it's not a hot spot but my sister's there. She can help you get on your feet if you want. Cool if you don't too… Uh, so yeah, I'll see you soon. Anytime you use this name, I can find you. I'll keep an eye on Cougar. See you soon I hope. _

_Jay_

She smiled sweetly at the note. Even given time to think about what he could say, he rambled and sputtered awkwardness. It was endearing. Looking around, Gabriella realized that everything she had, owned, was reduced to two bags and nothing more. She had never really had a life, not truly at least. After she thought Cougar had died she began to move through South America, working small jobs and doing what she could, nothing more. It was never really a life and now she was being offered one. Perhaps it was time she did just that. She would take him up on his offer and as far as she was concerned, New Hampshire was just like everywhere else in America. New.

Now… what to do with her weapons…

~Fin~


	24. Chapter 24

_Okay, okay, okay, I caved. I wasn't sure if I could find anything that was worth a sequel because, well, I couldn't think of anything that would be long enough. BUT, a friend of mine suggested this and I decided to run with it. It's just a little something that happens later after my story. I hope you guys like it!_

Chapter 24

Jensen was bouncing in his seat, patting the back of the seat in front of him to no particular beat. It was getting on everyone's last nerve and Aisha felt her fingers twitching towards one of her guns. She glared out of the corner of her eyes at the man, warning him silently to knock it off but if he noticed, he didn't say. Still he bounced lightly in his seat, acting as though he was some kind off sugar crazed kid.

"Jay!" Pooch finally snapped, unable to keep himself from doing it.

"Hmm?" Jensen asked, looking up and completely unaware of what the problem might be.

"Dude, I get it, really I do, but if you don't chill I'm going to kick you out of this damn van and make you walk."

"I wasn't doing anything." He mumbled, looking out the window as they drove.

Pooch shook his head slightly, Clay and Cougar smiling inwardly at the man. They were heading to the states for the first time in months, able to see family, friends and be around people who didn't know who they were or shoot them. It was going to be a nice change in pace. Besides, Pooch was going to get to see his boy who was about to turn three. Time flies when you're dead.

The van rounded the corner and entered the neighborhood. Jensen had started bouncing again. There was no point in telling him to stop because he was just going to start up again afterwards. They were going to see his sister Sarah first because, well she was the closest and Pooch had told Jolene to make her way there already. Sarah was a good woman, sweet and loving to everyone and for some reason loved having the whole group there. She gladly put up with them and wanted to have them stay there when they did actually come to town. It baffled everyone except Jensen. Though, when they thought about it, Sarah had to put up with Jensen their whole life so maybe the kindness and patience was mandatory.

The two story colonial home loomed in the distance and the bouncing got worse. Pooch had finally had enough, nursing a horrible headache since they got off the cargo plane, and the constant tapping was too much. He slammed briefly on the brakes forcing Jensen to smack his face against the back of Aisha and Cougar's seat.

"Ow!" he snapped, fixing his crooked glasses. "The hell man?"

"I warned you." He replied with a smirk, the others chuckling to themselves.

Jensen pouted, slamming back into his seat to illustrate his point as Pooch pulled up to the house. The Hacker didn't even bother waiting for an open door, damn near jumping out the window as he burst from the vehicle and ran for the house. He was like a kid at Christmas.

The others got out in their own time, shaking their head at the young man and smelling a grill in the air. It smelled good, burgers, steaks and hot dogs probably, and it filled the air around them. As they made their way up the walkway to the house, the door suddenly opened. A young woman, shorter than Jensen with blond hair and a wide toothed smile ran out and hugged him tightly. A moment later, a girl emerged and did the same. It made them all smile. Not too long after that, Spencer, Pooch's son, pushed his way around the women and ran for his daddy, awkwardly. Pooch met him in stride, not willing to have his son face plant in excitement. He hugged him tightly, spinning him around as Jolene came out and hugged her husband.

Given the setting and the family togetherness, it felt like they had stumbled into Beaver Clever-ville. It was too perfect for Aisha but sweet too. But as they stood there, saying their hellos to everyone, two of the Losers realized there was someone missing. Cougar and Jensen looked around curiously though Jensen was the first to speak.

"Where's Gabby?" he asked curiously.

"Oh, Mark went to go pick her up from the doctor's office." Sarah replied.

"Doctors? She okay?"

Sarah made a face and shook her head.

"She's been sick for about a week. Took us forever to convince her to go too."

"She eat your food or something? Cause I warned her about that." Jensen teased.

Sarah immediately smacked the man in the chest for his comment. He grunted from the force but smiled, lightly rubbing the sting.

"She didn't get sick from my cooking you jerk." She snapped lightly. "She thinks its just food poisoning. She went to that Mexican place over off Main."

"The one that's like _never_ passed a health exam?" Jensen asked with a wince.

Sarah nodded and the man cringed.

"They should be back in a minute though so come on inside. We've got the grill going." She smiled, ushering in the band of misfits.

The group made their way to the backyard, laughing, eating, and enjoying their time together as they drank their beers. After a while, there was the sound of closing car doors and Jensen felt his insides jump. It had been two months, one week and four days since he had seen Gabriella. He wasn't about to admit he had been keeping track, but he had, even setting up a counter on his computer. He was happy to say he could reset it after a while.

"_We're home!_" Mark called from within the house.

The group turned in their chairs and watched as the two came up and walked through the wide open double doors to the back. Mark smiled seeing everyone.

"Hey guys!" he chimed, moving to the side and giving Gabriella a chance to see.

Her face lit up the instant she saw everyone sitting around. Cougar had stood first, the closest to her and hugged the young woman tightly, kissing her cheek and whispering his hello to her. Gabriella's eyes started to water from sheer joy, unbelievably happy that he was safe.

When he pulled back, Gabriella caught sight of Jensen. He had stood too but didn't move. He was standing almost on the other side of the porch just moving awkwardly. She eyed him curiously. He was slightly dumbstruck. Even though she looked so much the same, she was different too. She just stood there in a pair of cut off shorts, a Petunias t-shirt (go Petunias) and her hair cut to her shoulders. He wanted to hug her but he didn't move.

Jensen didn't want to admit that he was worried she might have a boyfriend now. It was a possibility in his mind given he hadn't actually spoken to her since their last encounter. He had no idea what was going on in her life now and he wasn't going to assume anything. That, however, was shot to nothing when she ran at him and nearly tackled the man, slamming into him with so much force that the two almost toppled to the ground.

It took him a minute to gather himself, to realize that not only had Gabriella wrapped her arms around him but actually leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his hips and holding on for dear life. The others seemed to find the action funny while he was just relieved. When he was more aware, Jensen wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly, squeezing her to him.

Eventually, her legs began to slide down and she stood on her own but her arms never let go of him. Jensen didn't complain. He hugged her for so long; he felt his arms begin to burn from flexing and not moving. Slowly he pulled back and kissed her. He felt her giggle under his lips causing him to smile before letting her go. Though, he didn't let go for real, his arm laced around her waist she took a seat vacant between him and Cougar.

"So, guess you're happy to see him too?" Pooch asked with a smile.

Gabriella blushed slightly, only now seeming to realize their display had an audience.

"So, how'd it go?" Sarah asked, taking her seat with her husband.

"Fine." Gabriella sighed, reaching for a bottle of water and popping the top. "They gave me medicine."

Gabriella pulled the pill bottle, small though it was, out of her back pocket and the others wondered how they hadn't seen it. She broke the seal and took two of the horse pills, swallowing them with water.

"Sarah should've told you about that place. Every other person gets food poisoning." Jensen warned before noticing the pill bottle didn't look like a normal one. "What do they have you on?"

"Vitamins." She sighed. "They make me thirsty."

"Let me see those." Jolene said, holding out her hand.

Jensen took the bottle and tossed it to her. She caught it easily, reading over the label. She was a nurse and more than capable of being able to tell if the doctor even put her on the right medicine. Or, if anything, recommend a better one. As she read over the label, a smile touched her lips as she looked up. Gabriella shared the same smile. Jolene giggled to herself, tossing the bottle back across the table to the young woman.

"I've taken those too. They're good."

"You get food poisoning too?" Jensen asked.

"They're not for food poisoning." Jolene smiled.

"Well what got you sick?" he asked slightly worried.

She turned to him with a sweet smile, her eyes glittering with something he didn't recognize.

"I'm not sick Jacob." She told him warmly. His face twisted into confusion again. She laughed lightly. "I'm pregnant."

Silence.

Gabriella looked around at the stunned, opened mouth gaping looks she was getting from everyone save Mark and Jolene, the only two people that knew, before turning back to Jensen. His face was all but white, his mouth hanging slack and eyes wide.

Before she could ask him if he was alright, there was a joyful scream that made the young woman jump. She turned, frightened, to see Sarah beaming happily, bouncing in her seat before shoving it back and rushing Gabriella. She hugged the young woman tightly, overjoyed and happier than Gabriella had ever seen anyone. The young woman struggled to stand and hug the constantly moving woman but she managed.

"Oh my god!" Sarah cried again, the smile never leaving her face. "Congratulations!"

"Thank you." She laughed, pulling back to see Jolene standing beside her.

"Congratulations." She smiled, much calmer than Sarah, and hugged her. "How far along are you?"

She looked down at Jensen to see him still staring blankly.

"About ten weeks."

A smile twitched at his mouth as he stared at her, not focusing on anything in particular. His mind was racing a million miles a minute and it all seemed to come to a sudden halt when she nodded to the man. That seemed to answer so many of the questions he had surging through his brain and brought one thought screaming forward. Slowly, Jensen turned to see Cougar's reaction. The Spaniard was only looking from Gabriella to Jensen and back again, his face unreadable but definitely stuck somewhere between shock and disbelief.

"Holy shit." Pooch laughed. "Jay's gonna be a daddy."

The Hacker still sat there, having trouble comprehending everything when someone lifted him out of his seat. Sarah had grabbed him, hugging him tightly and still squealing happily about everything that had come out. He just stood there, surprised still. Slowly, everyone came up to the man and congratulated him but he was having trouble even standing. He became aware that Cougar was standing in front of him blankly.

"Heeeeyyy man…" Jensen muttered, not liking the Spaniard's look.

He was suddenly worried that the man might become homicidal after hearing he had impregnated his little sister. Surprisingly, a smile twitched at the man's lips before he reached forward and took the Hacker's hand, shaking it heartily. Jensen seemed to breathe his relief that he had dodged the bullet, again.

Eventually, the group moved aside enough for Gabriella to move forward. She smiled kindly at the man that still seemed to be having trouble comprehending the thought of a child. She gently cupped his cheek, rubbing her thumb across his stubble.

"Are you all right?" she asked sweetly.

Jensen met her fluorescent green eyes and nodded like an idiot.

"You're English is better." He babbled.

She laughed at him, the others shaking their heads at the young man. Before he could stop himself though, Jensen's mouth opened.

"Are you really pregnant?" he asked in what he had thought was a whisper. In reality, it was his normal speaking voice.

Gabriella nodded and directed his vision down. He watched as she took the hem of her shirt and pulled it up just enough to show her stomach. Sure enough, barely noticeable yet, was a bump. Jensen's throat went dry.

"I'm gonna be a daddy…" he mumbled before everything went black.

Without warning, Jensen's eyes rolled into his head and he fell backward like a tree in the woods, hitting the ground just as hard with a thud. The group of friends 'ooo-ed' the impact, wincing at the pain involved before moving to help him up.

The Hacker sat up with a goofy sideways grin. Gabriella knelt by his side, helping hold him up as he regained himself. He looked at the young woman and smiled, kissing her lightly as the excitement began to take over.

"We're going to have a baby?" he asked happily, the others helping him stand.

"Babies."

All action suddenly stopped, Jensen barely even halfway up as attention shifted back to Gabriella. She simply held up two fingers and he collapsed again.

_I hope this made you go 'awe' and laugh! :)_


End file.
